


A Mermaid's Kiss

by Sophia96



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marine Biologist Victor Nikiforov, Mermaid Yuuri Katsuki, Pining, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Shy Katsuki Yuuri, Siren/Mermaid AU, Young Katsuki Yuuri, Young Victor Nikiforov, omegaverse-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-05-14 23:33:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19283452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia96/pseuds/Sophia96
Summary: Victor is a marine biologist who's spent his entire life trying to find the mermaid that once saved his life.





	1. First sight

**Author's Note:**

> help

Victor had always had a fascination with the ocean. As a marine biologist, that shouldn’t be a surprise. 

He had a small house, right by the coast which contained everything he needed to do his job.

A small lab, access to the ocean, tools and equipment to make his own adventures down in the blue. It was a lonely job, but for some reason he never felt lonely. 

He had a clear purpose, something that kept him going. 

During the past five years, he was beginning to get a lot of recognition for his work, he had found a new species of fish that contained a certain fluid that could cure cancer, he had discovered ancient shipwrecks containing treasures from a legendary pirate, and he had almost found new ways to search for a special kind of life in the ocean. 

So far, that was only just a prototype and it currently wasn’t much help, as it seemed like every fish in the ocean appeared on the machine as soon as he turned it on. The specifications were still something to polish. 

He would however lie if he claimed that he was only researching for the sake of it. 

When he was a boy, he was terrified of the ocean. It was big, and deep and cold. 

His grandfather always told him to keep away from it, unless he wanted to be dinner for the kraken, the ocean’s most terrifying creature.

So it was safe to say that he always kept away from it, until he one day got a puppy. 

Makkachin seemed to love the ocean, as he somehow always seemed to be running straight to it. As soon as the door opened, he was off to the water, and he happily swam out in it as well.

So when Victor was 8 years old, he felt his heart stop as he realized that the back door was open and Makkachin was gone.

He rushed down to the ocean with a pounding heart and saw his poodle swimming peacefully out among the waves. 

He called him, but he didn’t come.

That’s when he saw something that changed his life forever. 

He thought he saw a boy. 

A beautiful boy with big brown eyes and pale features. 

The boy seemed to be saying something to Makkachin, and whatever it was, made him return to Victor.

Makkachin never had the same urge to get to the ocean after that. He jumped a little in the water at the length of the beach but that was it. 

When Victor was 10 years old, he was starting to get fascinated by the ocean. 

He read books about it, and he had learned about how the ecosystem worked. 

It was a sunny day, and he had decided to perform his first research. He was going to study the bacteria in the water and see if he could figure out how the growth of plankton worked. 

But he was young and not very smart, when he somehow decided to go out on the bridge and take a sample near his grandfather’s boat.

He fell into the water that day, and the cold almost paralyzed him, left him motionless, maybe it was the fear or the shock, but all he could do was sink.

Deeper and deeper. 

That’s when he saw the boy again. 

His grandfather had told him that it was just his imagination, and he must have dreamt it after he passed out on the shore. 

But he couldn’t explain how he got to the shore.

That was the problem, and that mysterious boy was the solution. 

The last time Victor saw him was the day of his grandfathers funeral, back when he was 17.

He had been sitting on the cliffs for hours, staring out to the ocean, begging for a sign. 

He had been crying, so there was a chance that he might have forced an illusion out on pure will, but he saw him. 

It was a little bit further away, and it was obvious that he was hiding, but he was there, holding onto a rock.

Victor had immediately stopped crying and directed his attention to him.

He was a lot older, but he was still a boy, maybe 14 years old but not much older than that. 

But he still had those beautiful brown eyes. 

Victor’s first instinct was to approach, but he immediately saw the boy flinch as he moved. 

Almost like a scared animal.

So he tried the second best thing. “Hello?” 

The boy’s eyes widened as he moved closer to him using the rocks. 

Victor shifted closer very slowly not to startle him. He reached out his hand but the boy looked to it as if it was something from a different world.

Which perhaps it was. 

But as soon as the boy was about to speak, someone called him from the house.

He momentarily startled to the voice and turned around. 

But as he turned back, the boy was gone. 

That’s when he decided to start studying. 

The boy had come to him three times, now it was his turn.

He began studying the ocean like a madman, he came up with theories and met with professors and most importantly, he stayed close. 

He took over his late grandfather’s house and turned it into his workspace and he walked out to the cliffs every single day ever since. 

Ten years had passed since he last saw him, but he wasn’t giving up.

He was a cliché and he knew it.

It was every marine biologist’s dream to discover a mythical creature of the sea.

But not that many had been in contact with one like Victor had.

That was why he was the only one that could find him and prove to the world that he wasn’t crazy. 

And most importantly, himself.

If that boy had only been an illusion, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

But he wasn’t giving up, not yet anyways.

A low whine suddenly brought his attention back to reality. “Soon, Makkachin,” he told his beloved poodle as he changed sliding glass under the microscope. 

Makkachin scratched his leg longingly, begging for his walk. 

Victor sighed in defeat. “Fine,” he relented as he pulled away from the algae specimen. “We’ll go.”  
………………………………….

The beach was beautiful at night, but it felt as if the ocean was mocking him.

Summer had arrived, and Makkachin happily ran close to the edges of the water and splashed happily.

”What did he say to you?” Victor asked with a sigh as he was caught in his thoughts of the past. Makkachin was the only other witness to the boy’s existence, and he hated the fact that he couldn’t speak.

Makkachin looked at him and then back at the ocean, almost as if trying to tell him something.

Victor just couldn’t figure out what. 

”Do you want to go out there?” Victor asked him.

Makkachin whined sadly before he changed direction and headed back to the house.

Victor frowned thoughtfully.

He probably wouldn’t find out, he wasn’t even sure if the boy was human. 

The way he looked at him…

When Victor closed his eyes, it was just being back on that cliff. His eyes meeting the eyes of the mythical creature. 

Victor laughed at the bizarreness of his thinking. 

He really was a man obsessed. 

Like now for example, he was pretty sure that he heard music…

Victor stopped in his tracks. 

His eyes widened and his heart sped up. 

If the boy was a siren… 

He turned to the cliffs and ran as fast as he could. 

He knew that it was idiotic. Running towards what was possibly a killing beast. 

Every rule in mythical lore said to run away from the song of a siren, not towards it. 

He had never heard of mermaids possessing the power to seduce sailers with music, but who knew what that boy was?

He had never seen a tail nor tentacles.

For all he knew, he might as well be a human without any need for air. 

But he was going to find out. 

He finally reached the cliffs. He looked around frantically, his eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. 

That’s when he saw him. 

It was a human, sitting on a rock amongst the crashing waves, humming. 

The song was beautiful, Victor could feel himself being gravitated towards it. The music was loud enough to hear from a distance, but even though he was closer, it still felt too faint to hear it properly. 

He carefully searched for a way down.

The boy was sitting with his back turned against him. 

Not that he looked much like a boy anymore. 

Just like him, he had aged. 

He had grown up. 

In Victor’s attempt to get down safely, he accidentally knocked a rock down. The action stopped the music immediately and he could see the man tense. 

Victor held his breath for several moments before their eyes met. 

It was him, it was really him.

As he saw those beautiful brown eyes, he knew. 

That was the man that had saved his life. 

Their moment however didn’t last for long as the man quickly composed himself and jumped into the water. 

Victor was certain that he saw a fin splash the water before he completely disappeared. That’s when he panicked. 

“No! Stop! Come back!” he shouted to the sea as he hurried down, he was pretty sure that he ripped his leg open on a sharp rock, but that didn’t matter. 

He was losing him. His purpose was once again disappearing away from him. 

He felt tears pool in his eyes, as his hand brushed against the rock the man had been sitting on just a moment ago.

It wasn’t fair. 

He had spent almost his entire life searching for him.

And the man disappeared, just like that. 

Like it meant nothing, like he meant nothing. 

Why would he bother saving him if he didn’t even care? Why would he keep appearing if he only intended to leave?

He had to speak to him, but on his terms. He wasn’t going to wait another 10 years for him to show up again.

And he should probably find something to stop the bleeding on his leg. Now when the adrenaline was dying down, he could feel how much it hurt. 

He stumbled back up to return to the lab, mind set on finding a way to capture a mermaid.


	2. A plan in motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor puts his plan to capture the mermaid into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that there were so much excitement for this story! <3<3 (TwT)
> 
> You guys are such an inspiration to me <33 
> 
> I hope you'll like this one as well <3<3

“That’s madness,” Chris - a fellow marine biologist laughed in his ear as Victor told him about his plan. “Even if mermaids were real, you’re not going to be able to catch one like that, all you’ll do is get yourself killed.” 

“Will you help me or not?” Victor asked. “I don’t want anyone that I don’t trust on this mission.”

There was a moment of silence. “Of course I’ll help,” Chris reluctantly agreed. “But I still have to ask you not to do it… If you are crazy, you’ll die.” 

“At least I’ll go out the way I’ve lived,” Victor said in an attempt of humor. 

“You’ve done amazing things, Nikiforov,” Chris said. “You can do more if you decide not to kill yourself.”

“He’ll save me,” Victor said without a trace of doubt. “He has before.” 

“What if he’s on mermaid vacation?” Chris questioned. “You haven’t seen him in ten years before yesterday, don’t you think he has better things to do than trying to keep you from drowning?” 

“I guess we’ll find out,” Victor said. 

Chris sighed. “Fine, but I’m not paying for your funeral.” 

“That’s what I got Yakov for,” Victor stated with a smile.

“Does he know about this?” Chris questioned. 

“He does,” Victor said vaguely. “He yelled at me for two hours…”

“Only two?” Chris asked in amusement.

“He thinks I’m crazy,” Victor claimed. 

“And why would he?” Chris asked. “You’re only going to capture a mermaid, then maybe a unicorn… And if that’s not enough, why not a dragon?” 

“Chris…” Victor said, unimpressed. 

“You know, I’m not really excited about seeing my best friend die in the name of science,” Chris pointed out. 

“I know,” Victor agreed. “But this will work.” 

“So you say…” Chris said, still not fully convinced. “We need to make a few alterations to your plan…” he said, leaving no room for arguments. “Let’s call it a plan B.” 

Victor sighed. “What do you have in mind?”  
……………………………………………..

The next few days Victor spent locked inside his basement for the majority of the days and nights. 

His plan was to lure the man up on land, and once they had him in a good range, they would put him down with a tranquilizer which would give them enough time to get the man over to the tank in the lab where he could recover. 

He was using himself as bait. 

He was going to hold weights that would help him sink to the bottom, and then pray for his life that the mermaid would save him like he did when he was 10. 

Of course Chris was working on his plan B. A life-jacket that could activate under water. 

Victor didn’t know if it was possible, but he didn’t doubt Chris’s abilities, especially when it came to science.

He was a genius.

Victor was just about to pick up his phone and call him to see how much he had progressed, when a knock on the door caught him off guard. 

He dropped his phone to the table, dropped what he was doing and hurried upstairs. 

He wasn’t even sure what he was expecting, but when he saw Yakov’s angry expression he felt his spirit drop. 

He sighed deeply before unlocking the door. 

“For christ’s sakes Victor, have you lost your damn mind?” Yakov barked angrily. 

“Good to see you too, Yakov,” Victor greeted his mentor tiredly. 

“Mermaids?” Yakov questioned. “What is this madness you’ve gotten yourself into? Why don’t you try to capture a vampire while you’re at it?” 

“I’m not certain he is a mermaid,” Victor pointed out. “He might as well be a siren… Or perhaps a sea god.” 

“This isn’t a joke, Vitya,” Yakov said in annoyance. “You’re putting your life on the line for a stupid experiment? You’re a scientist dammit.” 

“It’s not an experiment, it’s a plan,” Victor pointed out. “I might have found something that could change the whole meaning of science. I could change the world as we know it if I can only prove that he is real.” 

“He’s not!” Yakov exclaimed in frustration. 

“Yes, he is!” Victor quipped, more harshly than intended.

Yakov huffed. “You’re such a stubborn boy…”

“I’m almost thirty,” Victor pointed out. “And I know what I’m doing.” 

“You could have fooled me…” Yakov said sarcastically. “Now show me this research of yours. If we’re doing this, you better have something good.” 

Victor rolled his eyes. “Follow me.”  
………………………………………….

Yakov hadn’t been impressed with the evidence, but Victor somehow managed to talk him into the plan and convince him that Chris was going to make it safe. 

But he was starting to get more worried over the mermaid’s safety than his own.

He didn’t know if the man needed to be completely submerged to be able to breathe, did tranquilizers work on him? What if he had lethal allergies to something on land? What if he killed him?

There definitely couldn’t be many mermaids left in the world. Otherwise they would know about them. 

There had to be a reason why he hadn’t left the sea… Did he have a family? Would they look for him? 

What if he killed the last mermaid in the world? 

Victor poured himself a glass of whiskey to calm his nerves. 

Tomorrow the plan would be set into motion, and it could go either way.

He could only hope for the best…  
…………………………………….

The moment Victor stood on the docks, he felt panic creep up on him.

He was actually doing this, he was risking his life over something that could be insanity. 

But he needed to know. His whole life had led up to that point, and he needed to see the mermaid again. If it would kill him, at least it would be the end of his eternal questioning. 

“Are you sure you’re doing this?” Chris asked through his earpiece. He and Yakov had been ordered to stay far away with the tranquilizer gun.

Victor tightened the hold on his dumbbells. “You better save me,” he spoke out loud, hoping that he would hear. “I’m not letting go before I see you…” 

He then took a deep breath before stepping forward and plunging into the water. 

He had never sunken so fast before. It was slightly terrifying, but more exciting than anything else.

He kept his eyes open and did his best to see through the blurry water, but eventually, all he could see was darkness, and the only sound that could be heard was the air that he slowly released. 

He was starting to realize that it was a terrible idea. 

But suddenly, he felt a hand grabbing his wrist, making him drop the dumbbells.

He looked up, but all he could see was a shadow. 

But then, almost through magic, he saw his face through the darkness. 

It was as if the world stopped moving, and suddenly, he could breathe. 

He gasped a few times from sheer surprise as he looked at the man in disbelief. 

He was a mermaid. 

His top half was human, and the bottom half was fish. 

Not just any fish, a beautiful fish.

He would compare it to a betta fish with stunning blue colors that shifted from midnight blue to a gorgeous aqua. 

How could he even see that? Where did the light come from?

He looked up and noticed that they were close to the surface. 

The man had pulled him back up without Victor realizing it. 

So the plan worked.

But just as he could practically sense the surface, the man released his wrist and shot him a kind smile. 

Victor frowned in confusion and began swimming after him, back into the depths, when his life jacket was suddenly activated. It filled itself with a crazy amount of air and pushed him straight to the surface.

“Thank god you’re alive, Nikiforov,” Chris called in relief. 

Victor felt his heart break. The man saved him but let him go.

He clearly had magical abilities, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to help him breathe. There wasn’t any science to it, magic was the only way. 

Victor wanted to know more, he needed to know more. 

He had been so close to making his dreams come true, only to let it slip through his fingers. 

But he was not giving up. He just needed a new plan.

A better one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? <3 Please, please, PLEASE let me know <3<3 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read through this <3<3 
> 
> I love you! <3<3
> 
> KUDOS!!! <3<3


	3. Initiating contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor decides on a different approach to get to know his mermaid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are amazing!! <3<3 I'm feeling so inspired by all your amazing comments!! <3<3 I'm so happy to have you invsted after only 2 chapters! <3<3 
> 
> You definitely are the best!! <3<3
> 
> I hope you'll like this one as well! <3

Victor stumbled up on the beach and immediately dropped his life jacket to the sand. 

“You’re so catching pneumonia from this,” Chris said in amusement. “And you’re welcome for saving your life. You’re lucky I installed a remote activation mechanism.”

“I saw him,” Victor admitted as he fell on his knees onto the sand to catch his breath. “He… He saved me.” 

“No, I saved you,” Chris explained as if Victor was a five-year-old. “I activated the life jacket… Remember?” 

“No, I saw him before that,” Victor claimed. 

“Victor, listen to yourself,” Yakov cut in. “There is no mermaid, only an illusion that’s gotten you possessed.” 

“He’s not an illusion,” Victor stated. “He held onto my wrist…” he looked at his wrist and noticed a light bruise forming. “See?!” 

“You must have hit a rock or something when you fell yesterday,” Yakov said. “How’s your leg?” 

Victor pushed himself up to his feet so he could look at his leg. 

But once he did, his eyes widened. 

The big gash on his leg was nowhere to be seen. 

“What the hell?” Yakov asked in disbelief. 

Victor laughed. “Ha! I knew it!” 

“Victor?” Chris asked cautiously. “How did the wound on your leg heal?” 

“Magic,” Victor said proudly. “Mermaid magic.”

Yakov and Chris groaned in unison.  
………………………………………….

Chris and Yakov traveled home later that day after having enough of Victor’s wild ramblings. 

And Victor revisited the cliffs, only this time he sat down on the rock the mermaid sat on. 

Then he waited. 

He waited until the sun set and he waited under the stars. 

He waited until the sun started to rise and then he saw him. 

He probably didn’t intended to be seen, but he swam up to the surface and was just about to climb up on his rock when he noticed that it was already taken. 

He released the rock in an instant and swam away faster than humanly possible. 

His face grew red. He was clearly embarrassed. 

“Thank you for saving me,” Victor said gently. 

The man tilted his head a little as his face grew redder. He then looked at the water, as if considering how to escape.

“Please don’t leave,” Victor pleaded. “I- I want to talk with you.” 

The man swallowed thickly as he seemed to be struggling with his options. 

“I’m sorry I’m on your rock,” Victor apologized. “Do you want it back?” 

The man averted his gaze before nodding. 

Victor felt his heart skip a beat with happiness.

He understood him. 

He immediately got up from the rock and sat down on another one. 

The man smiled a little as he climbed up on the rock. 

Victor couldn’t help but stare at his tail in awe. It looked even better when the sunlight danced across it. But as soon as it was fully out of the water, the tail turned to legs. 

“You have a beautiful tail,” Victor said, and that seemed to be the wrong thing to say as the man quickly turned his back towards him and jumped into the water. “I’m sorry!” he practically shouted. “I… I didn’t mean to offend you.”

The man turned his face a little in his direction, and Victor could tell that his face was bright red. 

“Are you not used to compliments?” Victor asked. 

The man shook his head. 

Victor felt his heart break at the knowledge. “That’s a shame.” 

The man glanced at him curiously before he combed his fingers through his hair and looked at Victor.

“Do you like my hair?” Victor asked, whereof the man nodded shyly. Victor couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.” 

“Thank you…” the man repeated, the words sounded foreign on his tongue, and it seemed like he was unused of using his voice for speaking. 

“You have a beautiful singing voice,” Victor added. 

The man blushed sweetly. “Thank you,” he said again and looked up to him through thick lashes.

Victor couldn’t get over how beautiful he was. And he couldn’t believe that he was actually talking to him.

Everything about that man was beautiful, his lips, his nose, his skin, but especially his eyes. 

They were still sparkling like a million stars. 

“What’s your name?” Victor asked, unable to stop himself. 

The man froze at the question, and he seemed to be contemplating his answer very carefully before finally speaking. “Yuuri.” 

Victor felt his heart swell. “It’s nice to meet you, Yuuri,” he said cautiously. “My name is Victor.” 

“Victor…” Yuuri repeated. 

“Yes,” Victor chuckled. “That’s my name.” 

Yuuri looked at him as if he had performed a magic show. His eyes were wide in awe and Victor felt his heart melt within his chest. 

But suddenly, Yuuri flinched and looked down to the water with worry. 

“Is something wrong?” Victor asked. 

Yuuri nodded. “I-I… I need to go.”

“Will I see you again?” Victor asked desperately as he stood back up. 

Yuuri quickly swam back to get some distance between them. 

“Sorry,” Victor apologized. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Tonight,” Yuuri said shortly before diving down into the sea. 

Victor felt his heart ache and flutter at the same time. He hated that he had to go, but he was so grateful for the moment they spent together, and he was overjoyed that he was going to get another chance. 

Tonight, he had said. 

Victor was going to be there, he would wait for the mermaid. 

If he had to, he would wait forever…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They have initiated contact! <3 I'm so proud of them!! <3<3 
> 
> What did you think? <3<3 I'm desperate for your input! <3<3 
> 
> I love all of you that's been leaving comments this far! <3 Please keep them coming and I promise to answer! <3<3 
> 
> KUDOS!! <3<3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor finally get to spend some time with Yuuri, and he finds out why he disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter! <3<3 I hope you'll like it!! <3<3

Victor came to the cliffs right after he had slept a generous amount of time, late in the afternoon.

He wasn’t sure how mermaids measured the days, but he was going to be there for whenever Yuuri decided to show up. 

The rocks weren’t very comfortable, so he brought a mattress, blankets, and a lot of food to eat.

He even brought some kelp and other sea plants in case Yuuri was hungry. 

He wasn’t sure what he ate or how much mermaid food was growing around him. 

That might be the reason to why Yuuri was never around much.

Maybe it wasn’t a very good environment for mermaids. 

He knew so little. He was a marine biologist, but he was annoyingly clueless at the things he should know. 

Finding Yuuri was his lifelong purpose, but he knew absolutely nothing of what he needed. 

What he had read about mermaids was that they ate everything from fish to kelp and sometimes even humans. 

He just hoped that the last part wasn’t true, or he would surely end up as Yuuri’s dinner.

Maybe he should have brought some kind of protection…

“You’ll keep me safe, won’t you, Makkachin?” Victor asked his poodle that was snoozing right next to him.

Makkachin huffed in what Victor hoped was agreement. 

“Thank you, old friend,” Victor said as he sat back and watched the sun set behind the horizon. 

And as stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky and the moonlight illuminated the cliffs, he finally saw him. 

“Yuuri?” he asked lowly. 

Yuuri seemed to approach at that, slowly and carefully. 

“I brought Makkachin,” Victor admitted. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Yuuri shook his head. “It’s fine.” 

“Do you want to come up on land?” Victor asked gently. “I brought you something to eat… I hope.” 

Yuuri blinked a few times. “Eat?” 

“You do eat, don’t you?” Victor asked, trying not to burst with curiosity. 

Yuuri nodded. 

“What do you eat?” Victor asked. 

Yuuri shrugged. “Whatever I can find.” 

“Kelp?” Victor prodded. “Fish?” 

Yuuri’s eyes widened in horror.

“So not fish,” Victor said nervously. “Sorry.”

“No, I…” Yuuri said but trailed off. “You didn’t know.” 

“I want to know,” Victor claimed. “I want to know everything about you.” 

Yuuri swallowed thickly as a blush spread across his cheeks. “I… I can’t tell you,” he said shyly. “I’m not even supposed to…”

Victor knew what that meant. Yuuri wasn’t allowed to be with him. “You’re not supposed to talk to me?” 

Yuuri shook his head. “You’re… human… dangerous.”

“I’m not,” Victor promised. “I’m very harmless, you if anyone should know.” 

Yuuri tilted his head curiously. 

“You’ve saved me many times now,” Victor admitted. “You must have some idea of how useless I am.” 

Yuuri smiled at that, and it was probably the most beautiful sight he had ever experienced. “You do seem to be pretty dumb,” he agreed.

Victor didn’t even care that it was an insult, he had never felt more touched in his life.

He made him smile.

“I wanted to see you,” Victor admitted. “It’s not easy to get ahold of you.” 

Yuuri averted his gaze at that. “I…”

“It’s fine,” Victor promised. “I get it, you’ve been busy.”

“There’s not a lot of us left,” Yuuri said. “I… I’ve been traveling a lot, we moved when… but I… I think I want to be here… Where I was born. Not where… I mean, not that I...” 

Victor was struggling to understand what he was trying to say, it seemed like he was scared of revealing something. 

“You saw me,” Yuuri finally said. “So we left…”

Victor felt his heart break at the declaration. “You left because of me?” 

Yuuri nodded. “We… We’re not supposed to be seen.” 

“So mermaids migrate?” Victor asked, unable to hold back the questions. “Why did you come back? Are you alone? Why did you leave this morning in such a rush?”

Yuuri seemed to be overwhelmed by the questions as he backed away a little.

“Sorry,” Victor apologized, forcing himself to take a deep breath before continuing. “I’m just curious… You see, I’m a marine biologist, and my main field is the ocean.” 

“Why?” Yuuri asked. 

“Because it’s fascinating,” Victor said as if it was obvious. “The way it lives, the species, the way it’s completely impossible yet the most scientific constant in the universe.” 

Yuuri looked at him with awe. “You love it,” he said with a soft smile.

“I do,” Victor admitted. “I’ve dedicated my life to it.” 

Yuuri tilted his head in question. “How?” 

“I’ve spent almost every waking moment studying it,” Victor said. “I barely have anything outside of my work.” 

Yuuri looked at Makkachin, and Victor could tell how Makkachin looked back at Yuuri.

“Oh, well, of course I have Makkachin,” Victor assured. “He’s my most treasured companion and assistant.” 

Yuuri laughed a little at that.

It was definitely the most beautiful laugh in the world, Victor almost felt himself gravitate towards it, much like his song. 

“Are you here to stay?” Victor suddenly asked. “I want to see you again.” 

Yuuri blushed at that. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted. “I… need to fulfill my obligations.” 

“What obligations?” Victor asked, hating the look on Yuuri’s face.

Yuuri looked very sad and slightly scared. “I… I need to find a mate,” he said. “I can’t let our kind…” he grew quiet.

“... Go extinct,” Victor finished for him. 

Yuuri nodded. 

“Do you want to find a mate, Yuuri?” Victor asked worriedly, hating the idea of Yuuri returning to the bottom of the ocean to never be seen again.

Yuuri shook his head. “But I have to,” he said with so much pain across his features that it broke Victor’s heart to pieces. 

Victor hated that. He needed to save him. “Can I see you one more time before you go?” he asked. “To say goodbye?” 

Yuuri looked very hesitant. “No,” he finally decided. “I shouldn’t see you again. I… It’s not safe.” 

“Please?” Victor asked, hating how desperate he sounded. “I would never hurt you,” he said. “I owe you my life.” 

Yuuri seemed to be contemplating his answer “I… I really shouldn’t…” 

“The sea is not going anywhere,” Victor said. “I’m sure you can spare a few hours… Your future mate could get by for one more day if it means getting you for eternity.”

“I still haven’t found anyone,” Yuuri admitted. “If I miss them…” he trailed off a little. “Tomorrow is… A special day… Our kind gathers and…”

“... Mate?” Victor finished. 

Yuuri nodded again. “I can’t miss it,” he said. “The ocean is so big, and we usually stay hidden. It might be my only chance.”

“If you don’t want to go, why would you?” Victor asked in confusion. 

“You wouldn’t understand,” Yuuri claimed.

“Try me,” Victor pleaded.

“If I don’t find a mate, I’ll be forced to…” Yuuri took a shaky breath as he looked to the water. “I’ll be alone… I can’t return home, I…” his eyes filled with tears. “I’ll be an outcast.”

Victor felt his heart break for the mermaid. “Okay,” he said calmly. “I understand.” 

Yuuri nodded as he calmed himself down. “Thank you.” 

“Can I just…” Victor hesitated for a moment. “Can I get you something?” he asked. “A gift?”

“Gift?” Yuuri repeated. 

“Something for you to remember me by?” Victor asked. 

Yuuri nodded with a look of worry on his face.

“Wait here,” Victor pleaded before he started to back away. “I’ll be right back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is leaving!! (T^T) Do we really think Victor will allow that? <3 
> 
> Let me know what you think!! <3<3 
> 
> I really love to hear your thoughts! <3 You guys are always amazing!! <3<3 The comments is the only way I know if you're there, so they mean the world to me <3<3 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! <3<3
> 
> KUDOS!! <3<3


	5. A difficult choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor makes a decision that will change his relationship with Yuuri for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! <3 I hope you'll like it! <3<3

Victor knocked over several bottles in his lab as he was trying to find a syringe. 

He hated that it had come to this, but he kept telling himself that he was doing this for Yuuri.

If he let him go, he would stay gone forever. 

He was right about one thing, and that was that the ocean was big.

Too big to find a mermaid, especially one that didn’t want to be found. 

He couldn’t let that happen.

He couldn’t lose Yuuri, not now, not when he had finally initiated contact. 

He needed to know more about him, about his kind, about the magic they possessed. 

It couldn’t be over, he wouldn’t let it be.

Victor suppressed the urge to cheer when he finally found the syringe, and he let out a small cry of joy when he found the sedative Chris brought for the tranquilizer gun.

He made sure that the measurements were right before he put on the lid and put it safely in his pocket. 

He then grabbed his late grandmother’s old diamond necklace. 

He had read that mermaids and sirens were attracted to shiny things that they usually placed them in their nests. 

Hopefully it would be enough to keep Yuuri distracted while he put him under.

He stopped for a moment as he realized how horrible he was… How selfish…

No.

He was doing it for Yuuri’s best. 

Yuuri shouldn’t be forced to mate some random mermaid just for the sake of it.

He deserved to be free.

Victor was going to make sure that he stayed free. 

He walked out of his house with determined steps, his mind set. 

He did however feel his heart break as he saw that Yuuri was playing with Makkachin down by the cliffs.

His beloved dog was wagging his tail as he seemed to be trying to climb up in Yuuri’s lap, and the mermaid was petting him with a brilliant smile.

It was such a beautiful sight. 

Victor looked back to his house, he really hated how conflicted he felt. 

He wished there was some other way, but his options were to either do this, or lose Yuuri to a life of unhappiness. 

It was the lesser of two evils, so he walked down the cliffs and up to Yuuri. 

Yuuri backed away from Makkachin and the dog sat down politely. 

“I-I’m sorry, I was just playing with him,” Yuuri apologized. “His skin is fascinating.” 

“You mean his fur?” Victor asked in amusement. “It’s okay, he likes you.” 

“I like him too…” Yuuri admitted. 

“Yuuri, I have a question for you,” Victor said, trying not to let anything show. 

Yuuri looked to him in confusion. “Yes?”

“When I saw you a few days ago… You had legs.” Victor said, making Yuuri frown in confusion.

“I-I don’t understand the question,” Yuuri admitted. 

“How does it work?” Victor asked. “The transformation? And why don’t you live on land?”

“The land is dangerous,” Yuuri admitted. “It makes us weak, we become prey.” 

“Isn’t the ocean more dangerous?” Victor asked. “Sharks, poisonous jellyfish, sea monsters…”

“The ocean is safe,” Yuuri said. “I’m strong in the water, not on land.” 

“But could you live on land?” Victor asked, he needed to know where to keep him. “If the ocean ever got too polluted?” 

“Maybe,” Yuuri admitted. “But I could never live too far away from it, I need water… My skin... it’s sensitive to air.” 

“We have water on land,” Victor pointed out. 

Yuuri’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You do?” 

Victor nodded. “Humans need water too. We drink it.” 

“How?” Yuuri asked in confusion. 

“Like we eat,” Victor admitted. “We need both food and water to survive.”

Yuuri nodded in understanding. 

“How long can you stay under water?” Victor asked instead. 

Yuuri shrugged. “Years.” 

Victor nodded in understanding, it would be safest to keep him in the tank then.

“Right, your gift,” Victor said as he brought out the necklace from his pocket. 

Yuuri’s eyes widened in awe. “I-it sparkles…” 

“It’s diamonds,” Victor said. “It belonged to my grandmother.” 

Yuuri didn’t look away from the necklace for a single second. 

“Can I help you with it?” Victor asked. “To put it on?” 

Yuuri hesitated a little before nodding. 

Victor moved closer to him. “Turn around,” he pleaded.

Yuuri swallowed thickly before doing as asked. 

Victor felt his conscience weigh down on him. Yuuri trusted him… And he was going to break it. 

He picked up the syringe from his pocket and took off the lid. “Let me know it the metal scratch you,” he pleaded. “Old necklaces can get sharp.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding. 

Victor wrapped the necklace around the mermaid’s neck before slowly putting in the syringe.

Yuuri yelped a little. “It hurts,” he said as he looked around worriedly. 

Victor quickly hid the syringe away. 

“Take it off, please?” Yuuri asked politely. 

“Okay,” Victor agreed as he took the necklace off. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Yuuri claimed as he turned back to him. 

Victor regarded him worriedly as he placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “You’re cold.” 

“I…” Yuuri trailed off. “I’m dizzy…” he admitted. “I… I should go.”

Victor immediately grabbed his wrist. He couldn’t let him into the water if he was unconscious.

Yuuri looked to him in confusion. “Please let me go.” 

“I can’t,” Victor said apologetically. 

That’s when Yuuri sensed that something was wrong. 

Victor could actually see how his face morphed into fear and anger. 

“Let go of me!” Yuuri snapped and pulled his wrist free. He then started to crawl towards the water when Victor grabbed his ankle. 

“I can’t let you go,” Victor said, hating how evil he sounded.

He could also feel that Yuuri barely had any strength in his legs and his arms were slowly giving in too.

“Wha- what d-did you do to me?” Yuuri asked, his voice shaking with fear. 

“I’m saving you,” Victor said, trying to keep his voice even and not break down in tears.. 

Yuuri made a final attempt to pull free before he passed out. 

Victor felt like the worst human on the planet, he could even feel Makkachin judge him. “I just need to get him to the lab,” he told his dog. “He will forgive me.” 

Makkachin huffed in disbelief as Victor carefully approached Yuuri’s unconscious body. 

After checking his heartbeat and making sure that he was okay, he carefully lifted him up and carried him towards the house. 

He didn’t feel as victorious as he thought that he would. 

He had captured a mermaid, but he only felt like a villain, no longer like the scientist he had claimed to be. 

Hopefully Yuuri would understand and hopefully he might still be able to befriend him. 

Yuuri would definitely be scared and angry once he woke up, but Victor decided to make it feel as safe as possible. 

He would take good care of his mermaid, and when the time is right, he vowed to let him return to the ocean again. 

He wasn’t a monster, only a man with a small obsession and a need to help those in need. 

He only hoped that Yuuri would believe that...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When this chapter reaches 10 comments, I'll release chapter 6 <3
> 
> Hopefully it will be within 4 hours or I'm probably asleep XD <3
> 
> Let me know how you think Yuuri will react at this <3<3
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3 KUDOS!! <3<3<3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor does whatever he can to help Yuuri adjust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are fast!! <3<3 Here's the update, as promised! <3<3 I hope you'll like it! <3

Victor kept close monitoring of Yuuri that night. He checked his heart, his breathing, his heartbeat under water and his breathing under water. 

He was not letting Yuuri get hurt on his watch. 

The tank was designed like a aquarium that went under the ground, which contained plenty of hiding space, which he was pretty sure that Yuuri would enjoy once he woke up.

Yuuri was sleeping on the bottom of the tank, out of his sight, but that didn’t stop him from noticing when Yuuri woke up.

His heartbeat increased drastically, and Victor suddenly realized that he had no idea how to calm him down.

He decided to use the speaker. “It’s okay, you’re safe,” he said as gently as he could. “I’ll release you back into the ocean tomorrow, I just… I couldn’t let you throw your life away.” 

There wasn’t any response, and Yuuri definitely didn’t seem to calm down at that.

“I just need you to trust me for the day,” Victor said. “Then you never have to see me again if you don’t want to.” 

All he heard in response was a loud crack in what he thought was his unbreakable glass. It seemed like Yuuri wasn’t exaggerating when he told him about being strong under water. 

“Please don’t break the tank,” Victor pleaded. “You won’t get out, but the water might disappear into the cliffs underneath.” 

Yuuri seemed to stop at that, but Victor could still see him swimming around near the bottom of the tank in an inhuman speed. He then saw him swim up, but as soon as Yuuri spotted him, he immediately swam back down.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Victor said seriously. “You’re safe here.” 

Suddenly, a rock from the bottom came shooting up and crashed into the roof of the tank. 

“No, no, no… Yuuri stop that,” Victor begged when another rock came flinging. “Yuuri, you’ll break the tank.” 

Another rock came flying, which successfully cracked the glass. 

“Yuuri, if you don’t stop right now, I’ll empty the water from the tank,” Victor said sternly. 

The mermaid stopped at that. 

Victor released a breath of relief, but definitely didn’t feel better about himself. “I’m sorry for saying that,” he admitted. “I just… I’m not sure what to do…”

There was no response, Yuuri was definitely giving him the cold shoulder, which he definitely deserved for kidnapping him. “I’m sorry,” he admitted. “I panicked when you said that you would leave for good… I just… I’ve been looking for you my entire life. I couldn’t lose you when I finally found you.” 

Another rock was thrown up, but not nearly with the same strength as before. It simply bounced off like a pebble. 

“You have every right to hate me,” Victor said. “But hopefully you will find it within yourself to forgive me. After tomorrow, you will see that this was the right decision.” 

~You know nothing!~ 

Victor flinched at the voice in his head. 

It was Yuuri. 

~I trusted you!~ 

“I’m sorry,” Victor apologized. “I never wanted to break your trust. I just wanted… I…” he didn’t even know what he was expecting to happen. “I just wanted to get to know you…” 

Suddenly it grew very quiet. “Yuuri?” 

Yuuri didn’t answer. 

“Yuuri, please?” Victor begged, but he wasn’t sure of what.

~I just want to go home...~

Victor felt his heart break from the sadness in Yuuri’s voice. 

“You will get to go home tomorrow,” Victor said gently. “I just… I couldn’t lose you forever.”

~Why?~ Yuuri suddenly asked. ~You don’t even know me~

“I… I can’t explain it,” Victor admitted. “I just… I feel like I was meant to find you. Like there is this… connection between us. Don’t you feel it too?”

Victor saw Yuuri swim back up in the tank and he suddenly looked at him. 

Victor swallowed thickly as he felt very exposed all the sudden. Yuuri’s gaze was almost too much to handle.

~I can’t~ Yuuri suddenly said as he averted his gaze and swam back down. ~It would be wrong~

Victor felt his heart skip a beat.

So he did feel the same… He just didn’t want to admit it.

“Do you want to get out of the tank?” Victor asked. “I can let you out.” 

There was a moment of silence. ~Why would you let me out?~

“You’re not my prisoner, Yuuri,” Victor told him. “I thought I was saving you by taking you here, and I never thought that you would come with me willingly…”

~I wouldn’t~ Yuuri said without a doubt. 

“Yeah…” Victor agreed. “And I know I had no right to do what I did, but I can’t go back... And I’m not sorry, because all of this time I got with you is worth it. Even if you’re mad at me.” 

~If all you want is to spend time with me, why don’t you just keep me in here?~ 

“Because that’s not how I want to spend time with you,” Victor admitted. “...And I don’t want to see you unhappy.” 

Yuuri seemed to be considering that for a long moment before finally responding by swimming up and touching the glass. He didn’t look at him, but Victor was pretty sure about what he wanted. 

~How do I get out?~ Yuuri asked shyly. 

“I’ll open for you,” Victor said as he immediately pressed the button that opened the hatch, only to feel his heart race as broken glass fell into the tank from the damage Yuuri had done.

Not that he could blame him. Yuuri had every right to be mad.

But he did feel terrified that Yuuri would get hurt by the falling shards. 

Yuuri immediately swam back to the bottom at the cracking sound. 

Out of sight. 

“Are you okay?” Victor asked worriedly through the speakers.

Yuuri swam up slowly, unharmed. 

“I’m sorry about the scare,” Victor apologized before he walked up the small staircase so he could help Yuuri up. He reached out his hand, and he felt his heart skip a beat as Yuuri grabbed it. 

Yuuri’s hands looked slightly different in his mermaid form. He had the most incredible nails, almost like claws. 

But as he was busy staring, Yuuri made a move he didn’t expect. 

One moment, he was holding Yuuri’s hand, and the next, he was in the water, held down by Yuuri. 

He never expected himself to be drowned in his own lab by the mermaid he had pursued since he was a child, but in a way, it did feel fitting. 

But Yuuri never killed him, he let him go completely as he made his escape. 

Victor swam up as well, but Yuuri was already stumbling down the stairs as he reached the surface. 

He ran to the door and tried to push it open. 

Victor felt his heart break as he noticed how scared he was. He even considering just staying there in the water to avoid scaring Yuuri further. 

Yuuri wasn’t getting out, the door was made of metal and locked with a ten-digit-code. 

But he could hurt himself, which is why Victor eventually pulled himself out. 

Yuuri froze when Victor was out of the tank and he stared at him with wide eyes. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Victor said calmly, raising his hands in surrender. “Don’t be scared.” 

Yuuri grabbed his very expensive telescope and held it out like a weapon. “S-stay back!” 

“Okay,” Victor relented as he backed away and sat down on a chair on the other side of the room. 

Yuuri turned back to the door and immediately tried to push it open again. 

Victor sighed. “You’re not going to get it open like that,” he said apologetically. 

Yuuri pushed at the door a few more times before he slowly sank to the ground.

Victor immediately grew worried. “Are you okay?” 

That’s when he heard something that broke his heart to pieces.

A sniffle.

Yuuri was crying. 

He immediately closed the distance between them and crouched down in front of Yuuri. “Please don’t cry,” he pleaded.

Yuuri curled in on himself, almost like he was trying to hide. 

Victor felt like he was willing to do anything to help the mermaid. “Okay, you win,” he relented. “I’ll take you back to the sea.” 

Yuuri looked up at that, his eyes filled with tears and confusion. “R-really?” 

“I can’t stand to make you sad,” Victor admitted. “I never meant to hurt you like this.” He stood up and began typing in the code to the door. Once it was open, Yuuri immediately shot to his feet. 

The mermaid rushed out of the lab and up the stairs before he froze in his tracks. 

Victor regarded him worriedly before he noticed that Yuuri seemed to be overwhelmed by his house. 

Yuuri’s mouth was hanging half-open as he stared at the room in awe. 

“This is my house,” Victor said sheepishly as he awaited Yuuri’s reaction. 

Yuuri looked around some more before something stole his attention completely. 

A mirror. 

Victor couldn’t help but to smile fondly as Yuuri raised and lowered his hand. 

“It’s a mirror,” Victor explained. “It shows your reflection.” 

“Can I have it?” Yuuri asked, his shy personality nowhere in sight. 

“Y-yes,” Victor agreed. “Of course,” he walked up to the mirror and took it down.

Yuuri watched his every moment before something else caught his attention. 

Victor felt his heart skip a beat as Yuuri bent forward to look into his fireplace. 

The fire had nearly died out, but there was a low flame left that seemed to have Yuuri under its spell. “A sun?”

“That’s a fire,” Victor explained. “I use it to keep this part of the house warm.” 

Yuuri swallowed thickly as he reached out his hand as if about to touch it. 

“Careful!” Victor pleaded. “It’s warm.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding as he backed away and something else caught his attention. He walked forward and took up one of Makkachin’s jingle balls and shook it a little.

Victor could see the clear joy on his face as the sound rang through the room. “Can I have this?” 

“Of course,” Victor said and couldn’t help but to smile. “But it won’t work under water.” 

Yuuri frowned at that before he looked around as if he searched for something. “Where is the sun?” he asked in slight panic.

Victor looked at the clock on his arm, it was almost 10:00am, they had been up all night. 

“Probably high in the sky,” Victor said. 

Yuuri stiffened as he finally ran up to a window and looked out. 

“I… I’m too late…” Yuuri said, his voice shaking a little. “I missed it.” 

Victor couldn’t help but to feel a little happy at that. 

He really was evil, but it meant that Yuuri wouldn’t be lost for good. “I’m sorry,” he said nonetheless.

“No, you’re not,” Yuuri said bluntly. “You got what you wanted… I’m yours.” he said before he turned to him with a strange look in his eyes. “Forever.” 

Victor visibly flinched. “W-what?” 

Yuuri said nothing else before he suddenly turned around and pressed his lips against Victor’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That escalated quickly XD <3 I'm curious how this will end, I hope you are too <3 
> 
> Just to clear things up - don't come between a mermaid and the sea on mating day, or you're going to get caught in the middle XD <33 Let's see how Victor will handle this! <3<3
> 
> I hope you're excited! <3 Let me know what you think is going to happen!! <33
> 
> I love you!!! <3<3
> 
> KUDOS!!! <3<3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri tells Victor about mating day and Victor shares his thoughts on the tradition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter! <3 I hope you'll like it! <3<3

Victor dropped the mirror as he gently pushed Yuuri back. “What are you doing?” he asked in panic.

“I’m mating with you,” Yuuri said as he attempted to lean back in.

Victor pushed him back even further. “Why?” 

“It’s mating day… And you’re the only one around,” Yuuri said as if it was obvious. 

Victor frowned at that. “You can’t mate with someone for no other reason than the fact that they’re around,” he explained. “And I can’t get pregnant.” 

“I can,” Yuuri said as he attempted to lean in again. “I can do both.” 

Victor was pretty sure his head was going to explode. “I-I… I can’t,” he finally decided. “I need to sit down…” 

“We can do it while you sit,” Yuuri said.

“No,” Victor said. “It’s too much, I need to think.” 

“Mermaids can only get pregnant once a year. I need to do my part,” Yuuri said, his eyes filled with determination. “I’m of age, it’s my duty.” 

“You’re not cattle,” Victor said seriously. “You can mate next year.” 

Yuuri shook his head. “I… If someone dies this year and I haven’t procreated…” he trailed off. “We’re fewer and fewer, I need to change it, I need to make more mermaids…” 

“Let the other mermaids do that job this year,” Victor pleaded. “Just… Take a breath.” 

Yuuri looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language. 

Victor wanted to slap himself over his own stupidity. “Or try to relax,” he corrected. ”No one will be better off if you stress yourself to death.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened in horror and Victor was pretty sure that he would do everyone a favor if he just stopped talking altogether and stopped traumatizing his mermaid.

”Babies are a big responsibility,” Victor then said. ”You shouldn’t have them unless you really want them. And you should mate with someone you love, not someone who’s just available.” 

Yuuri blinked a few times before something close to understanding dawned on him. ”You don’t want to mate with me,” he said dejectedly.

”I don’t want to mate with anyone I don’t know,” Victor corrected. ”You are very beautiful, Yuuri,” he told him. ”And I really want you to have higher standards.”

”It’s hard to have standards when you’re a dying species…” Yuuri explained. ”The other option is letting down my people and living as a outcast. If you don’t make babies, you’re worthless.”

Victor frowned. ”That’s terrible.”

Yuuri nodded in agreement. ”But that’s life.” 

”It shouldn't have to be,” Victor claimed.

Yuuri shrugged.

”Please stay with me?” Victor pleaded. ”Even if we don’t mate.”

Yuuri looked to him in confusion. ”Why?”

”The other mermaids are wrong,” Victor said. ”You don’t lose your value from waiting a year to procreate. Let me prove that to you.”

”How?” Yuuri asked.

”I… I don’t know yet,” Victor admitted. ”I’m not good at being spontaneous.”

“You don’t make the best choices when you are,” Yuuri agreed. 

“For what it’s worth, I really am sorry for upsetting you,” Victor admitted. 

“I’m pretty sure most people would get upset from being stabbed with poison and locked in a cage,” Yuuri pointed out. 

Victor couldn’t exactly argue with that. “I know… It was a terrible thing to do.” 

Yuuri nodded in agreement before he saw something that stole his attention yet again. “What’s that?” he asked in awe. 

Victor chuckled fondly. “That’s a lamp.”   
………………………………….

Yuuri was slowly starting to warm up to him, and he meant that literally. 

Yuuri had been freezing cold from the moment he met him, but now his temperature was going up and he was starting to feel cold. 

Victor was a little bit taller and wider than him, but he still offered him his own clothes which Yuuri happily accepted. 

He was drowning in his shirt and his pants were held up by a string not to fall to the floor. 

He looked adorable. 

Especially from his spot in front of the fireplace, chewing on some dried seaweed while Makkachin was snoozing in his lap. 

Victor still couldn’t believe that he had a mermaid in his living room, he still wasn’t sure what had convinced Yuuri to accept his offer, but he didn’t want to question it. 

The important part was that Yuuri was looking relatively happy. 

And it was going to get better. 

That’s when someone suddenly knocked on the door. 

Yuuri flinched in fear and Makkachin immediately began to bark as he rushed towards the door.

He had never done that before. 

“Wait there,” Victor pleaded. 

Yuuri sat still, but he looked ready to run away at any second. 

“It’s okay,” Victor told him with a reassuring smile. “Children come through here quite a lot to sell things. Or it might just be someone I know.”

“Why would they try to break through your wall?” Yuuri asked, deadly serious. 

“It’s a door,” Victor told him. “Humans knock on them to show that they mean no harm.” 

Yuuri nodded cautiously. “Are you sure?” 

“Nothing will happen to you,” Victor promised. If there was someone hostile out there, he would gladly give up his own life before letting them remotely close to Yuuri. 

Yuuri seemed to believe him as he relaxed a little.

Victor took a deep breath before walking over to the door and opening it. 

“Vitya, why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Yakov asked angrily. 

“Yakov, good to see you, old friend” Victor said loudly so that Yuuri wouldn’t worry. “Let’s talk out here in the fresh air. 

He kept the door slightly ajar so Yuuri would hear but he wouldn’t risk Yakov seeing him. 

“Have you slept anything since I left?” Yakov asked, now slightly worried. 

“Yes, I have,” Victor promised. “I just been… caught up in researching.” 

“Hopefully something besides fairytales,” Yakov said with a frown. “This obsession of yours isn’t healthy.” 

“You were right,” Victor lied. “I’m moving on, no more mermaids.” 

Yakov raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You’re doing as you’re told? Since when?” 

Victor rolled his eyes. Yakov’s remarks weren’t as subtle as the old man was probably hoping. “I’m letting it go, isn’t that enough?” 

Yakov frowned. “You don’t look well,” he observed as he suddenly placed his hand on Victor’s forehead. “Are you ill?” 

“I’m fine,” Victor claimed. “Just… Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” 

Yakov looked at the door and Victor immediately took a step aside to cover it from Yakov’s view. 

“Was that all?” Victor asked, begging that Yakov would just go back to his car and drive away. 

“Are you… hiding something?” Yakov asked, suddenly filled with suspicion. 

Victor sighed. “No,” he lied. 

Yakov seemed to be able to tell. “Victor, open the door,” he demanded.

“I can’t, I…” Victor searched his head for a good answer. “I have a man in there… Undressed.” 

Yakov’s face grew into an awkward shade of red and he took a few steps back. “F-fine,” he agreed as he cleared his throat, clearly unwilling to prod. “Call me tonight so I know you’re alive. And don’t you dare disappear.” 

“Of course,” Victor agreed as he snuck back inside, he closed and locked the door behind him before his eyes fell back to Yuuri who was still seated at the fireplace. 

“Who was it?” Yuuri asked.

“Yakov,” Victor admitted. “He’s an old friend of mine, he’s a fellow marine biologist.”

“He loves the ocean too?” Yuuri asked, trying to make sense of how things worked.

“He does,” Victor agreed. “His speciality is sharks.”

“Does he keep one in a cage?” Yuuri asked. 

Victor hated the sound of that. He knew what Yuuri was getting at. “No, he doesn’t,” he admitted. “He’s not nearly as crazy as I am.” 

“Okay,” Yuuri said as he finished the last of the seaweed.

“Are you still hungry?” Victor asked. “I think I have something else…” 

“I’m fine,” Yuuri claimed. “Thank you for sharing your food.” 

“You’re welcome,” Victor said. “You can have whatever you want. Anything I can give, it’s yours.” 

Yuuri blushed at that. “Usually only mates share their possessions with others,” he said shyly. 

“Well, maybe I can be kind of like a mate to you?” Victor suggested. “I’ll be here for you, for whatever you need. And you can always rely on me for anything. Sort of… Platonic, maybe?” 

Yuuri seemed to be considering that for a moment. “A platonic mate?” he asked. “What does platonic mean? Isn’t it a metal?”

“It means non-romantic,” Victor explained. “Like a friendship.” 

Yuuri frowned. “Non-romantic…” he repeated, like he was strangely angry with the word itself. 

“I’ll be just what you need me to be,” Victor stated. “And right now, you need a friend, not a lover… How old are you?” 

“Twenty-three,” Yuuri said shyly. 

Victor nodded in understanding. “You’re still very young,” he said. “I’m twenty-seven and I barely know what I want in my life… You need some time to find out who you are.” 

Yuuri seemed to be slightly confused by the statement, but he nodded nonetheless. “You have a very… peculiar way to see the world.” 

“Are you intrigued?” Victor asked. 

Yuuri nodded carefully. 

“Good,” Victor said. “Because this is only the beginning…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about ending the story here, unless you have some things you want to see <3
> 
> I kind of want to see them explore human traditions and Yuuri getting to learn about the human world etc <3 But I'm not really sure where to start... (^^¨) Please leave me a few suggestions <3<3
> 
> I love you <3<3 Thank you for reading!! <3<3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor let's Yuuri have a taste of the human world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many of you wanted the story to go on and you gave me such sweet ideas, so of course I had to use a few of them <3<3
> 
> With that said, I hope you'll like this! <3<3

Just when Victor thought that Yuuri couldn’t get any cuter, he suddenly became sleepy. 

And that was a sight that could probably even melt Yakov’s heart into a puddle.

He was like a puppy struggling to keep his head up. 

Yuuri still had a strange fascination with the fire as he couldn’t take his eyes off it. 

Except from when his eyelids became too heavy to keep open. 

“Do you want to go to sleep?” Victor asked him. 

Yuuri shook his head stubbornly. “I’m fine,” he claimed. 

“How do you normally sleep?” Victor asked curiously. 

Yuuri looked slightly embarrassed. “I-it’s kind of hard to explain,” he admitted. “We kind of make bubbles in seaweed fields and rest on top of them.” 

Victor found it fascinating. “How do you make bubbles? Is it like foam or big ones filled with air?” 

Yuuri blushed a little. “Mostly foam,” he admitted. “It comes from rubbing the seaweeds a certain way,” he explained. “It’s sticky, but it keeps us from sleep swimming, if we get too close to the surface while we’re asleep, we might get caught by hunters.” 

Victor didn’t like that scenario. “I’m glad you have so many ways to keep yourself safe,” he said. “There’s no wonder we don’t believe you exist.” 

“It that why your old friend said that I wasn’t real?” Yuuri asked. “Does humans think we’re imaginary?” 

“We do,” Victor admitted. “But I didn’t… I knew you were real.” 

“Are there others?” Yuuri asked. “Other people like you?” 

“I don’t know,” Victor said. “Not that I know of… And I’m pretty sure no one would believe them. Just like no one have believed me.” 

“No one would doubt you now,” Yuuri said, his voice quivering a little with worry. 

“I don’t mind it anymore,” Victor admitted. “I know that I wasn’t wrong, and that’s enough for me.” 

Yuuri seemed to relax a little at that. “So you don’t want to… prove them wrong?” 

Victor was momentarily stunned, his original plan had always been to prove the existence of mermaids, but now when he had Yuuri with him… 

He just wanted to keep him safe. 

Yuuri didn’t deserve to be a spectacle, or something for other scientists to prod at. 

He was just as human as himself. 

“No,” he finally said out loud. “By exposing you, I will just hurt mermaids. I don’t want that… I want to help you, not make life harder for you.” 

Yuuri looked relieved before he turned his eyes back to the fire. “I can’t believe humans tamed the sunlight…”

“Extraordinary, right?” Victor asked as he sat down next to Yuuri. 

Yuuri shifted closer to him, his eyes not leaving the fireplace. “Why do humans enjoy to put so many things in cages?” 

Victor frowned at the question, noticing the fire guard that must have gotten Yuuri’s attention. “I guess it makes us feel safe,” he admitted. “To know we have control.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding. “Is that why you put me in a cage? To feel like you had control over me?” 

“No,” Victor said, he could barely believe that Yuuri thought that. “I just… I panicked… but doing that… It didn’t help.” 

“Okay,” Yuuri said. 

“How much longer will you be mad at me for that?” Victor asked, dreading the answer. Yuuri wouldn’t be wrong for holding onto the grudge forever.

“I’m not mad anymore,” Yuuri admitted. “I’m just… I’m trying to understand how you work… The things I’ve heard about humans feel so… unjust.”

That made Victor feel highly intrigued. “What kind of things have you heard?” 

Yuuri considered his words for a moment. “How humans hunt for sport,” he said. “How they burn the forest, poison the ocean, kill each other, hurt their friends, their families… I heard stories about how creatures from the sea have been trapped and put in cages for the amusement of humans. How you cut everything open to see how it works…” he trailed off a little.

Victor felt the blood drain from his face. “Oh…” 

“But you’re not like that,” Yuuri said. “You seem very… kind.” 

“Humans are capable of the best and the worst things,” Victor admitted. 

Yuuri tensed a little. “It’s true?” 

“Humans are… complicated,” Victor tried to explain. “Some humans are evil and they do evil things… But most humans are good.” 

Yuuri carefully shifted away a little. 

Victor didn’t blame him.

“That won’t happen to you,” Victor said. “I’m not letting any bad human near you.” 

“How do you know if they’re evil?” Yuuri asked. 

Victor hated that he didn’t have a good answer to that. “I know which people are good,” he said. “I want you to meet them.” 

Yuuri looked hesitant at that. “You want me to meet… other humans?” 

“When you’re ready,” Victor said. “Your whole life has changed, I think you need a few days to adjust.” 

Yuuri nodded carefully before Victor could hear his stomach rumble.

“You’re still hungry,” Victor observed. 

Yuuri blushed shyly. “I think it’s because I’m in my human form,” he said thoughtfully. “Legs takes more energy than my fin… I’m normally not hungry after I’ve had food.”

“Can I get you something for humans?” Victor asked. “Something that will hopefully give you more strength than seaweed?” 

“What?” Yuuri asked worriedly. “No…”

“... No fish,” Victor reassured him immediately and watched how Yuuri sighed in relief. “Why don’t you come with me to the kitchen?” he suggested. “You can look and smell and see if there’s something you like.” 

Yuuri nodded as he stood up on shaking legs. 

They were clearly exhausted from lack of use. 

Victor walked ahead of Yuuri into the kitchen and took out a chair for him. 

Yuuri looked at the chair for several moments before Victor told him what to do. “Would you like to sit?” 

“Oh…” Yuuri said dumbly and followed Victor’s suggestion and sat down.

“Do you think you would like peanut butter?” Victor asked as he looked through his very empty refrigerator. 

Yuuri blinked a few times. 

Victor took out a spoon and opened the jar to give Yuuri a sample. 

Yuuri took the spoon and tasted a little, his eyes widened after he swallowed. He then continued with eating the rest with the most adorable smile.

“Is that a yes?” Victor asked in amusement. 

Yuuri nodded frantically as he reached out the spoon to him. “More, please?” 

“I’ll put it on a sandwich for you,” Victor said as he brought out the strawberry jam and plain bread. 

Yuuri watched him with a great amount of interest. 

“Have you eaten anything from land before?” Victor asked curiously. “Maybe something that’s fallen off a ship?” 

“I ate a bird once,” Yuuri admitted. 

Victor froze momentarily as he processed the information. “That couldn’t have been very tasty.” 

“It wasn’t,” Yuuri said. “But it was a mean bird.” 

Victor snorted as he finished Yuuri’s sandwich and reached it out to him. “I should go to the store tomorrow and get more things to eat.” 

“Store?” Yuuri repeated as he accepted the sandwich. 

“It’s… A place to get things you don’t have,” Victor explained. 

“But you have everything,” Yuuri pointed out. 

Victor shrugged. “Not a lot to eat,” he admitted. 

Yuuri nodded in understanding as he took a bite of the sandwich, his eyes widening as he did. 

“Do you like it?” Victor asked. 

Yuuri nodded with a beautiful smile. “I-it’s very good, thank you.” 

“Do you want something to drink?” Victor asked. “Water?” 

Yuuri didn’t take his eyes off his sandwich, but he nodded nonetheless. 

Victor grabbed a glass from the top of the cabinet and turned the tap on. 

Yuuri yelped as he jumped off his chair.

Victor immediately turned the tap off. “Sorry!” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

“H-how did you do that?” Yuuri asked in awe. 

“I turned the tap,” Victor admitted as he repeated the action. 

Yuuri’s eyes widened as he carefully walked closer. “H-how did you get the sea into that tiny thing?” 

“Oh, well, it’s not really from the sea,” Victor admitted. “This is clean water without salt. We clean the water so we humans will be able to drink it.” 

Yuuri looked confused. 

“Let’s call it magic, okay?” Victor suggested. “You turn on the tap and water magically comes out from the pipe.” 

“A magic pipe,” Yuuri repeated. “Can I… touch it?” he asked. “The magic water?” 

“Of course,” Victor agreed as he stepped away. 

Yuuri approached slowly and yelped a little as he touched the water. Victor could see how his feet flashed blue from the contact. 

“I-it’s warm,” Yuuri said in disbelief. 

“You can change the temperature,” Victor explained. “Try it.” 

Yuuri tried and he laughed a little as he felt the difference. “It is magic.” 

“If you get water on your feet, will it transform you?” Victor asked.

Yuuri shook his head. “My legs need to be surrounded by water,” he said. “If the air touches the scales on my fin, it will turn to legs.” 

Victor wished that he was carrying his notepad so he could save all the information somehow. 

“Here,” he said instead as he turned the temperature to cold and filled the glass for Yuuri. “Drink it, it’s good.” 

Yuuri accepted the glass with curiosity and took a sip. 

He looked like he had just discovered something extraordinary as he beamed. “It feels like swimming,” he admitted. “But on the inside.” 

Victor laughed a little at that before he thought of something Yuuri had said. “How’s your skin?” 

“It’s better now,” Yuuri admitted as he refilled the glass. “Can I have this?” he asked as he held up the glass to Victor. 

“Of course,” Victor agreed. “Like I said. Anything you want.”   
…………………………………….

Yuuri seemed to be taking that offer a little bit too seriously. 

After he had finished eating, he began walking around the house and gather things to a single spot in the living room. 

It started with the cushions from the couch, then the blankets, and before he knew it, Yuuri was taking the mirror and everything else that caught his attention to the same spot. 

Suddenly, it dawned on Victor.

Yuuri was nesting as he was getting ready for sleep. 

And Victor couldn’t stop himself from helping him. 

Together, they built a blanket fort which contained all of Yuuri’s treasures, they shone brightly as Victor connected a string of fairy lights to the roof of the fort. 

Yuuri hung up tiny jewelry into the blanket as he seemed to be fully content with his surroundings. “It feels like a home,” he admitted. 

“I’m glad you think that,” Victor said with a soft smile. “Do you think you want to stay here?” he asked. “You never gave me a direct answer.” 

Yuuri seemed to be considering that for a long moment. “Do you want me to stay?” 

“Yes,” Victor said without a doubt. “More than I ever wanted anything in my life.” 

Yuuri smiled shyly. “Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll stay with you.” 

Victor did a double take. “You will?” 

“As long as I get to keep this nest,” Yuuri said as a condition. 

“Of course,” Victor agreed instantly. “Anything you want…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you continue to fill the comment fields with inspiration! <3<3 It's so much easier to write with engaged readers! <3<3
> 
> Thank you for always being so awesome! <3 And let me know what you think these two should do next!! <3<3
> 
> Thank you for reading!! <3<3
> 
> KUDOS!!! <3<3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor wakes up and realizes Yuuri is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update! <3<3 I can't thank you enough for being so supportive of this story <3<3 You're all amazing!! <3<3

Victor woke up slowly the next day. 

The first thing he noticed was that he was sleeping in Yuuri’s nest, and the second thing he noticed was that Yuuri was gone.

That woke Victor up in an instant. “Yuuri?” he called in slight panic as he got to his feet. “Yuuri?” 

He rushed through the living room and stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the kitchen. 

Yuuri was sitting in the middle of the floor, his whole body was covered in peanut butter. 

“Yuuri?” Victor asked worriedly, making Yuuri flinch. 

“I… I-I was hungry,” Yuuri admitted, his eyes twinkling a little with fear and worry. 

“It’s okay,” Victor reassured him immediately. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” he asked gently. 

“You were sleeping,” Yuuri admitted. “I- I didn’t want to wake you up.” 

“I wouldn’t have minded,” Victor said with a smile. “You have peanut butter on your face,” he said teasingly.

Yuuri blushed shyly. “I… I tried to use the spoon, but i kept dropping it… Then I got too excited…” 

Victor couldn’t do anything but to smile at the adorable mermaid that had gotten over-excited over a jar of peanut butter.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri apologized. “I didn’t mean to make a mess….”

“It’s fine, Yuuri,” Victor promised him. “But I think you need a bath…” 

Yuuri blinked a few times in confusion.  
…………………………………………….

“How’s the temperature?” Victor asked as he encouraged Yuuri to feel with his hand. 

Yuuri shivered. “It’s warm…” 

“Too warm?” Victor prodded.

Yuuri shook his head. “Good warm.” 

Victor smiled. “Get in.” 

Yuuri swallowed thickly before doing as asked. 

As soon as he sat down however, his legs transformed into a fin.

Victor stared at it in awe. 

Yuuri raised his fin a little and it immediately turned back into legs. 

“I didn’t mean to stare,” Victor admitted sheepishly. “It’s just… Very beautiful.” 

Yuuri blushed as he sunk his legs back down, turning them back to a fin. 

Victor did his best to keep his eyes on Yuuri’s face. 

It wasn’t too hard. He had a very beautiful face.

“You can look at my fin,” Yuuri said shyly. 

“I quite enjoy looking at your face as well,” Victor said, making Yuuri blush.

“Please look at my fin,” Yuuri pleaded. “I-I... You’re looking too much...” 

“Sorry,” Victor apologized as he averted his gaze. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” 

“It’s okay,” Yuuri said as he shifted a little to make more room for himself. Victor had a big bathtub, but it was almost too small for him in his mermaid form. He had to struggle a little to keep himself comfortable. 

“You can breathe air in your mermaid form,” Victor said thoughtfully. “Can you breathe under water in your human form?” 

Yuuri nodded. 

“Incredible,” Victor said in awe.

Yuuri smiled a little at that, and Victor noticed how the smaller fins flipped a little. Almost like a dog wagging its tail. 

It was adorable. 

“How do mermaids communicate under water?” Victor asked curiously.

“Isn’t it my turn to ask questions?” Yuuri asked. 

Victor blinked in surprise before he felt joy spread in his chest. “Ask me anything.” 

“What’s this?” Yuuri asked as he picked up his yellow rubber duck. 

Victor couldn’t help but to laugh. “It’s a rubber duck,” he said as he gently took it from Yuuri’s hands and placed it in the water. “So humans won’t feel lonely when they bathe.” 

Yuuri looked at the rubber duck in interest. “I didn’t know humans needed company when they’re in water.” 

“It has never hurt anyone to be accompanied by a cute duck,” Victor mused as he grabbed a sponge and soap, getting ready to clean the mermaid of peanut butter. 

Yuuri’s eyes widened when foam started to cover the sponge. “That’s beautiful,” he said as he reached for it. 

Victor let him have it to examine. 

Yuuri turned and poked and prodded at it. 

He would make a good scientist. 

“Can I have this?” Yuuri asked. 

Victor chuckled. “Of course, Yuuri,” he agreed. “You can have the sponge.”   
………………………………………….

Victor managed to convince Yuuri to at least wrap a towel around the sponge before placing it in his nest, but into the nest it went. 

Victor couldn’t help but to feel just as amused as he was fascinated by the mermaid’s behaviour. 

Making nests, and hoarding useless objects was definitely not normal human behaviour, but somehow it fitted Yuuri perfectly. 

He looked like he belonged in his blanket fort somehow. Surrounded by everything that he loved from the human world. 

A part of Victor almost wanted to get him more items, but he knew that it would only end in disaster if he did. 

Besides, he wasn’t sure if he had enough objects to satisfy Yuuri. 

Speaking of that, he still needed to go and get food. 

But could he leave Yuuri alone? 

And an even harder question, could he bring him? 

“Uhm, I… I need to go and buy some food,” Victor admitted. “Do you want to come?” 

Yuuri looked instantly anxious. “W-where?” 

“It’s called the supermarket,” Victor admitted. “It has everything you could possibly want, and you get to take some of it in exchange for money.” 

“What do you do with money?” Yuuri asked in confusion. 

“We trade it… exchange it for the things we want,” Victor tried to explain.

“So no one really wants the money?” Yuuri asked.

“It’s just paper,” Victor admitted. “But every paper holds a value that you can get better things for. If you have enough of the paper, you can get whatever you want.” 

Yuuri seemed to be considering that. “I-I thought people used gold for that.” 

“We did for many years,” Victor admitted. “But we started using paper instead because it was easier to handle.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding before he frowned thoughtfully. “You can’t take paper under water,” he then pointed out. 

“No you can’t,” Victor agreed with an amused smile. 

“Gold is prettier than paper,” Yuuri then claimed. 

“Also correct,” Victor agreed. 

“So why would you still have paper?” Yuuri asked. “It’s impractical.” 

“I didn’t make up the rules,” Victor admitted. 

“But you follow them,” Yuuri stated. 

Victor shrugged. “I don’t mind the financial system,” he said. “I manage.”

“Humans are strange,” Yuuri said. 

“Well, I’m sure many of us humans would think the same about mermaids,” Victor quipped. 

Yuuri tilted his head a little. “Why?” 

Victor wasn’t sure how to explain. “You have a very lovely nest.” 

Yuuri looked at it, as if suddenly realizing that it was there. “You helped me build it,” he pointed out. 

“I did,” Victor agreed. “But you made it yours with your… decorations.”

“Yes?” Yuuri asked if he had no idea what Victor was getting at. “Did… Did you not want me to?” 

“Of course,” Victor quickly reassured him. “I want you to make this whole house your home if you want to, it’s just… Humans don’t make nests.” 

Yuuri looked confused. “Then where do you sleep?” 

“In my bedroom,” Victor admitted. “It’s upstairs.”

Yuuri looked at the roof. “There’s another house up there?” 

“Not a whole house, just a few more rooms,” Victor explained. “You’re welcome to explore while I go out.” 

Yuuri nodded hesitantly. 

“Unless you want to come with me?” Victor asked. He would definitely feel a lot better if he could keep Yuuri in his line of sight. He didn’t want to return home just to find that Yuuri had hurt himself or tried putting a fork in an outlet. 

Yuuri seemed to be considering the offer before nodding. “Okay,” he agreed. “It will be safe… right?” 

“Of course,” Victor promised. “Nothing bad will ever happen to you as long as I’m there.” 

Yuuri seemed to relax a little at that.

“Just stay close to me,” Victor pleaded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you think it will go? <3 Victor better keep Yuuri far away from the fish deli desk unless he wants to traumatize his mermaid XD <3
> 
> Let me know what you think should happen!! <3<3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! <3<3
> 
> KUDOS!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor take Yuuri to the supermarket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working full-time and I'm settling into my new city! <3 But I found some time to write! <3
> 
> I hope you'll like it! <3

There weren’t many things that were more unatural than a mermaid in a car. 

But considering the circumstances, Yuuri was doing okay. 

He almost jumped out of his own skin as Victor turned the engine on, but as Victor drove in the sunset, Yuuri seemed to be growing more and more fond of it.

He especially liked the radio as he pressed every single button he could reach, marveling over the static noise and the different channels that streamed music.

He also looked out of his window and at the cars around them with an extraordinary amount of interest.

He was ridiculously beautiful. 

“H-how does this thing move so fast?” Yuuri asked in awe as he climbed in his seat in hopes of seeing more.

“It has an engine that makes the wheels of the car spin very fast,” Victor explained before glancing at Yuuri thoughtfully . “Can I ask you something now?” he asked carefully.

Yuuri nodded as he sat back down in his seat. 

“How can you understand what I’m saying?” Victor asked. “Can you read? How do mermaids speak to each other?” 

“Oh, well, mermaids have telepathic powers,” Yuuri admitted bluntly, like it was the most normal thing in the world. “I’m not listening as much as I’m actually reading your thoughts as you speak. I can only hear the intended thoughts… When you speak you… Think very loudly.” 

Victor frowned thoughtfully. “Then how can you speak my language?” 

“I’m using your vocabulary,” Yuuri said. “I only know the words that you know… But some of them are confusing.” 

Victor decided to try a little experiment. He switched to Russian. “Do you understand me now?” 

“I do understand you,” Yuuri admitted, fluid Russian rolling off his tongue. “What language is it?”

“It’s called Russian,” Victor admitted. “My family lived there, but when my parents died I moved here to America to my uncle.” 

“What language are we normally talking?” 

“English.” 

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully. “I like them both.” 

“What language do mermaids speak?” Victor asked in return.

“We don’t have a name for it,” Yuuri admitted. “Why do humans name their languages?” 

“We’re territorial,” Victor said with a shrug, doing his best to guess. “We name our languages after our countries, and countries are invisible lines on land and water created by humans to keep other humans out.” 

“Does it work?” Yuuri asked. 

“Not really,” Victor admitted. “Humans like the illusion of order. But it doesn’t always work out the way we want.”

“Mermaids are territorial too,” Yuuri said. “But we scent things that belongs to us. That way you will know if you’re intruding on someone else’s territory.” 

Victor felt his brain making a flip. That was fascinating. 

Mermaids went by scents. 

“But doesn’t that mean that you can find a mate outside of mating day?” Victor asked. “You can just follow someone’s scent and go there.”

“All mermaids are pregnant now,” Yuuri pointed out. “And you don’t want to be a mature unfertilized mermaid intruding on mated couples…” he looked a little scared. “Mermaids are territorial, but pregnant mermaids are…” he trailed off. “Worse…” he settled with.

“But you’ll always have next year,” Victor said, hoping to be encouraging and not letting the guilt get to him again.

Yuuri shrugged. “I might not get the chance,” he admitted. “Mature mermaids that’s gone a long time without being pregnant are always less attractive. And every year it will get worse. I will not look young forever, I was already old when I presented. And no one will want to mate an old mermaid except, well… old mermaids…” 

“You’re young,” Victor protested. 

“Most mermaids my age are mated,” Yuuri pointed out. “And I can’t help but to imagine showing up at the next mate day with two recently presented mermaids and a very old one… There’s a big chance that they will choose each other and I will be… forced to mate with an old mermaid…” 

Victor hated the idea of that. “It won’t come to that,” he declared. “If those are the options, you should find a human, or several humans to impregnate.” 

“I can only choose one,” Yuuri admitted. “Mating is an unbreakable bond that lasts until death… Mermaids are not really creatures for… what do you call it? One-night-stands?” 

“Okay,” Victor said thoughtfully as he rocked his mind on how he could make things up to Yuuri. 

He would gladly offer up himself, but that would probably be too weird. He had kidnapped him after all. 

Explaining to their children that they existed because dad kidnapped dad was far too extreme to even consider. 

Luckily, he didn’t have to consider it for much longer.

“Here we are,” Victor declared as they parked outside the supermarket. 

Yuuri looked at it with wide eyes. “I-it’s big…” 

“It gets smaller over time, it just takes some getting used to,” Victor reassured him. 

Yuuri nodded in understanding as he got out of the car.

Victor followed him and grabbed a cart before they entered the store. 

Yuuri practically glued himself to Victor’s side as people rushed around them, making him nervous. Someone even snapped at him to move out of the way, to which he practically jumped out of his own skin in his rush to get away. 

“People are stressed,” Victor explained to him gently. “Try not to take it personal.”

“O-okay,” Yuuri agreed hesitantly, when he saw something that made his heart stop. “V-Victor…” he stuttered out.

Victor looked around worriedly when he saw what caught Yuuri’s attention. 

The fishing department. 

Fishing rods, nets, plastic fishes used for bait…

“W-what is that?” Yuuri asked fearfully. 

Victor swallowed thickly as he tried to come up with a good explanation. “It’s, uhm… fishing equipment… Humans eat fish.” 

Yuuri looked terrified as he took a step back.

“It’s not going to hurt you,” Victor promised. “We’ll just walk this way,” he said and took Yuuri’s hand to lead him away. 

Yuuri held onto him tightly while looking around with worry. 

Victor needed that look of worry gone. “Yuuri, look at this,” he said as he turned to the shelves with peanut butter and jam. 

Yuuri gasped in surprise as he carefully walked up to the jars. “T-there are so many of them.” 

“I know,” Victor said fondly. “Pick out one you like and put it in the cart.” 

Yuuri nodded as if understanding the task perfectly. He then turned to the jars with a look of pure dedication. “This one,” he said with finality and grabbed a jar to place in the cart.

“Excellent choice,” Victor said fondly when Yuuri suddenly stared at something behind him and walked off. “Yuuri?” 

Yuuri didn’t answer as he walked up to the hygiene articles and picked out a blue loofa. “It’s soft.”

“Put it in the cart,” Victor said with a smile. “If you want it.” 

Yuuri nodded and placed the loofa down carefully into the cart before browsing the rest of the shelf. “What’s this?” he asked as he took out a box of tampons.

Victor snorted. “That’s, uhm… For females.” 

“Oh,” Yuuri said dumbly and placed the tampons back before taking out a bottle of shampoo. “What’s this?” 

“Shampoo,” Victor said. “It’s for washing your hair, but we have plenty of it back at home.” 

“Okay,” Yuuri relented as he looked around the shelves like a man on a mission. “What’s that over there?” he asked and walked off. 

“Slow down,” Victor pleaded. “We’re not in any rush.”  
……………………………………….

After giving into most of Yuuri’s whims and spontaneous purchases and getting everything that he might be able to enjoy eating, he was a lot poorer but with a mermaid that was actually humming with happiness. 

It was without a doubt worth it. 

And getting Yuuri home so he could take all the things he wanted to his nest was such a beautiful sight as well. 

He had seen Yuuri both scared, sad and angry, but now when he was happy, he looked almost completely different. 

His eyes that had looked almost black with terror was melting into a beautiful golden brown, almost like toasted honey. And that small smile made him look more of an angel than a actual human.

And his voice…

The sweet joyful melodies that Yuuri hummed made Victor want to sell his own soul for it to last forever. 

He really was magical, worthy of a lifetime of waiting. 

But when a knock suddenly boomed on the door, Yuuri transformed immediately as he hurried inside his nest. 

“It’s probably just Yakov,” Victor said reassuringly. “I forgot to call him last night, he might be here to check up on me again.” 

Yuuri nodded cautiously but didn’t relax the slightest. 

Victor sighed but went to answer the door. But just as his hand brushed against the doorknob, he felt his blood turn to ice as he noticed that the silhouette in the window if his front door looked nothing like Yakov. 

It was Chris. 

And he wouldn’t be able to keep Chris out. 

Should he pretend that he wasn’t home?

“You know I can see you, right?” Chris said on the other side of the door.

Victor sighed, determined to do his best to keep Chris out, before he finally opened the door. 

Chris stormed in immediately. “So what is Victor Nikiforov hiding this time?” he asked loudly, as strode past him into the kitchen. 

“Chris, stop!” Victor demanded as he grabbed his friend’s arm and stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop. 

“You only get like this when you’re onto something,” Chris claimed as he tried to look behind Victor, clearly searching for something. “So what is it this time? Is it in your lab?” 

“What’s wrong with you?” Victor questioned. “You need to leave.” 

Chris frowned in confusion. “Are you okay, Victor?” he asked worriedly. “You look… Nervous.” 

“You just broke into my home, Chris,” Victor pointed out. “I’m asking you to leave.” 

Chris looked at Victor as if he had just grown a second head. “Did something happen?” he asked. “You’re acting… Odd…” 

“Me?” Victor questioned. “You’re the one that’s storming inside my house.” 

Chris looked around worriedly. “What are you hiding?” he asked sternly. 

Victor was nothing like his normal cheerful self. He was acting angry and paranoid. Something had to be wrong. 

“Did something happen to you?” Chris prodded. “Yakov told me that you’ve been seeing someone… Is everything all right there?”

Victor sighed tiredly, feeling the stress swallow him whole at the thought of Yuuri being scared. “Leave, Chris,” he said, now pleading. “I know you mean well, but this is really not a good time.” 

That’s when Chris felt his breath come in short as he noticed a man standing at the doorway. That was the first time he had seen someone at Victor’s house. “Who’s that?” he questioned. 

Yuuri took a few steps back.

“No, don’t be scared,” Victor pleaded as he immediately pushed Chris behind himself to keep him out of Yuuri’s sight to the best of his abilities. “Chris is a friend of mine.” 

Yuuri looked at him skeptically.

“He’s not going to hurt you,” Victor promised before looking at Chris. “Right?”

Chris was confused why would anyone assume that he would hurt them? “Right, of course not… Victor… Care to tell me what’s going on?”

Victor looked between Yuuri and Chris. 

He had no idea where to start…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought!! <3<3 
> 
> Love you! <3
> 
> KUDOS!! <3<3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri gets introduced to Chris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an update! <3<3 I hope you'll like it! <3

“Uhm… This is Yuuri,” Victor said awkwardly. “Yuuri, this is Chris.”

“Hi,” Chris said and reached out his hand. He took a step closer to Yuuri which immediately made the mermaid back several steps into the living room.

“No, no, no, it’s okay,” Victor promised. “Chris is not dangerous,” he reached and patted his friend’s head. “See?” 

Yuuri tilted his head thoughtfully as he considered the action. “Like Makkachin?” 

“Like Makkachin,” Victor confirmed. 

Chris turned to him with a look of pure confusion. “Excuse me?”

Victor hushed him. “He’s just a little cranky right now because he hasn’t had any dinner.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding as Chris looked at Victor as if he had just turned into an alien. “What the hell?” he whispered. 

Victor just laughed nervously. “Uhm, I’m going to take Chris here outside for his walk, do you mind watching Makkachin for me and make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble?” 

“O-okay?” Yuuri said hesitantly and turned to the poodle that was asleep in front of the fireplace. As he turned back, Victor and his friend was gone.

“Do you know what he was talking about?” Yuuri asked the poodle.

Makkachin huffed in response.

Yuuri smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said and sat down next to him. “But do you think Chris is dangerous?” 

Makkachin looked up at him.

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed. “I trust you.” 

Makkachin placed his resting head in Yuuri’s lap. Yuuri petted him gently. “Maybe I should go check on them?” he asked anxiously. “They’ve been gone for a long time now…” 

Makkachin moved his head away to allow Yuuri to get up easier.

“Thank you,” Yuuri told the dog as he got up from the floor and walked over to the windows in hope of seeing Victor and that Chris person outside.   
…………………………………….

“Okay, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Chris asked as Victor closed the door behind them. 

“I will,” Victor promised. “I just… I’m not really sure where to start.”

“How about the beginning?” Chris suggested as he crossed his arms. 

Victor sighed. “Well uhm… Yuuri is… Special.” 

“That much I figured,” Chris stated. “What kind of sketchy bar did you pick him up from?” 

“I didn’t… I didn’t pick him up from a bar!” Victor exclaimed. “We… We met at the… Well, by the water.” 

“No…” Chris said as his eyes widened in disbelief. “He’s not…”

“He’s a mermaid,” Victor admitted. 

“That’s incredible… Wait, are you sure?” Chris asked. 

“I’m sure,” Victor stated. “He has the most beautiful fins.”

Chris frowned in confusion. “He… He didn’t have fins…”

“He has when he’s in water,” Victor explained. “On land he’s… He’s just like a normal human.” 

“Victor, do you know what this mean?” Chris asked. “You have just made on of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time… Why haven’t you reported it yet?”

“I can’t,” Victor said apologetically. “It would put Yuuri and every singe mermaid in danger, I can’t do that to him.”

“So you’re just going to keep him?” Chris asked in confusion. “For what? Like a pet?”

“No! Of course not!” Victor protested. “I just… I want to get to know him better.”

“Oh my god, you like him,” Chris said with wide eyes.

“He’s sweet,” Victor admitted. “And he’s so fascinating, he has his own habits and instincts and…” 

“Victor!” Chris snapped. “He’s a whole new species, a mythological creature. He could make sense of the whole siren myth, he could change the world as we know it. If there are mermaids, what else are we missing? Dragons? Vampires?”

“Stop,” Victor pleaded. “This… This is not a decision I can make. Mermaids will be hunted, and they’re almost extinct as it is.” 

“Or they could be protected,” Chris stated. “If people knew about them, maybe us humans would stop dumping shit in the ocean. It could save the whole world.”

“It’s Yuuri’s choice,” Victor said. “I have already interfered in his life and in his world more than I should. If I’m ever going to interfere again, it’s going to be if that’s what the mermaids wants.” 

“Okay,” Chris relented. “So what about Yuuri? You’re going to observe him, right? Do an ultrasound or maybe take some x-rays? You need to document him, if not for you, then for the sake of making history” 

Victor sighed. “We’ll see,” he agreed. “Right now, I just want to learn about what he’s willing to share.” 

“How are you sure he’s not lying?” Chris asked. “He could easily make things up if it meant protecting himself and his kind.” 

“I know,” Victor said. “But right now, I don’t care. If he’s just lying, it’s fine by me. Maybe some things aren’t meant for us humans to know.” 

“And you’re supposed to be a scientist?” Chris said in disbelief before sighing tiredly. “Okay, fine, have it your way, but you don’t mind if I ask him a few questions in the name of science, right?” 

“Only if you ask Yuuri if he wants to talk to you first,” Victor said. 

That’s when the door suddenly opened. 

Victor flinched in surprise. “Yuuri, we were just about to go inside,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Is everything okay?” 

Yuuri’s eyes turned to Chris before his whole body stiffened. “I don’t like him,” he declared. “Make him go away.” 

Victor was momentarily taken aback. “Uhm, okay?” he agreed hesitantly. “Chris, go home,” he ordered lamely.

“Wait, why don’t you like me?” Chris asked in confusion. 

“You want to put needles in me,” Yuuri said. “You want to put me in machines. You’re evil.” 

Chris took an immediate step back. “That’s not-” he cut himself off. “I would never hurt you,” he claimed. “I only use harmless procedures. The needles wouldn’t hurt, and the x-rays wouldn’t either.” 

“Stay back,” Yuuri demanded as he took a step back. “I don’t believe you.” 

“Victor can oversee it,” Chris said. “Right?” 

“I can,” Victor admitted. “If you decide you want to do it.” 

Yuuri frowned. “Why would I?” 

“It will make us learn more about you,” Victor said. “And it could be good to know if you ever get sick.” 

“I won’t get sick,” Yuuri claimed. 

“Most of our diseases are airborne, you have spent your entire life under water,” Victor pointed out. “If anything happens…”

“I’ll be fine,” Yuuri stated. “I won’t get sick.” 

“How can you be sure of things you know nothing about?” Chris asked, taking a cautious step closer. “If you would just let us…” he trailed off as he suddenly stiffened. 

“I told you to stay back,” Yuuri said sternly. 

Victor noticed that Chris was heaving, before he suddenly collapsed to the ground, throwing up water.

“Chris!” Victor exclaimed as he quickly joined his friend’s side. “What’s going on?” 

Chris coughed as he was desperately trying to catch air between his painful water vomiting. 

That’s when Victor turned to Yuuri. “Stop!” he ordered. “You’ll kill him.” 

Suddenly, Chris inhaled, slow and wheezing. 

“I don’t want to see him again,” Yuuri stated before he turned around and walked inside, slamming the door behind him. 

Victor was left stunned by the side of his coughing friend. He had no idea that mermaids had that kind of powerful magic. 

Yuuri could kill any human by pure will, yet he hadn’t even tried to hurt him.

That was very interesting. 

“Are you okay, Chris?” Victor asked worriedly.

“Y-yeah,” Chris said and cleared his throat. “I’ll be fine.” 

Victor nodded in approval. “Are you good to go home?” he asked worriedly. “I think I need to talk to Yuuri alone. This is probably too much too fast. Come back in maybe a week, we’ll see how he feels then.” 

“Hopefully not ready to drown me again,” Chris said as he looked to the front door worriedly. 

Victor helped Chris back up to his feet. “I’ll see what I can do,” he promised. “But tell Yakov to stay away as well. Tell him I’m taking some time off or something. Anything to keep him away from here.” 

“Okay,” Chris agreed. “But in return, you need to promise me to not let this golden opportunity go to waste. You need to learn more about him. Actual facts.” 

“I’ll do my best,” Victor said. “But not today, and probably not tomorrow. Yuuri needs time to adjust to the simple things.” 

“Yeah,” Chris said in agreement. “I’ll talk to you soon.” 

“Of course,” Victor said with a smile before moving towards the front door. 

Chris walked to his car and waved back to him casually.

Victor walked inside and closed the door. “Yuuri?” he called as he couldn’t see the mermaid. 

That’s when he noticed that the back door was open and Makkachin sat dutifully inside and looked outside. Victor felt his heart stop for several moments as he hurried to the door and saw Yuuri walking out to the water.

He was losing him. 

“Yuuri”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like Yuuri has had enough, or is there something else that lies behind Yuuri's need to get to the sea? ;)
> 
> Let me know what you think! <3<3
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3<3 
> 
> KUDOS <3<3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri disappears and Victor freaks out.

“Yuuri!” Victor called desperately as he ran after the mermaid. “Yuuri, please stop.” 

To his surprise, Yuuri did. He stopped on the beach and turned back. 

As Victor came closer, he noticed that Yuuri was not looking well. He was pale and had dark bags under his eyes. Almost like he hadn’t been sleeping for days. 

He looked fine just a few minutes ago. 

“W-where are you going?” Victor asked as he came within earshot. 

“W-water…” Yuuri said tiredly. “I… I n-need…”

Victor’s heart sped up faster than it ever had when he saw Yuuri’s legs buckling. He managed to catch him just in time before he collapsed to the ground. 

He immediately lifted him up and carried him the last bit to the water and walked out with him until he himself was drenched. 

He didn’t even care as he kept his attention glued to Yuuri who had his eyes closed. 

Yuuri slowly opened his eyes before taking a deep breath. 

Victor could see his pants floating as Yuuri’s legs had already transformed in the water. 

It was a little bit harder to hold him, but he couldn’t help but to marvel over how soft his scales were. 

“Yuuri?” Victor whispered.

Yuuri looked to him. “Let me go,” he pleaded.

Victor felt his body refuse that command as he suddenly tightened his grip. He didn’t want to let Yuuri go.

“Please?” Yuuri asked.

Victor cursed himself. He couldn’t have Yuuri look at him like he did when he first took him again.

“Will- Will you come back?” Victor asked. 

Yuuri looked to him apologetically. 

Victor felt tears sting his eyes as he gently lowered Yuuri into the water. 

Yuuri disappeared within seconds, as if he hadn’t even existed. 

Victor felt as if someone had just punched a hole in his chest. “Yuuri?” he called as he walked out a little deeper into the sea. “Yuuri!” 

He could no longer feel the sand under his feet as he swam deeper into the sea. “Yuuri!” 

Yuuri didn’t answer, and he didn’t come back. 

Victor dove into the water, struggling to see in the misty sea. Yuuri was nowhere to be found. 

He knew that he couldn’t search the whole sea, it was too big, too deep, and he was too small and too slow. 

So after feeling his muscles burn in protest, he made his way back to land. 

He crawled up in the sand and felt his breaths coming in short. There was a pain in his chest, his heart was aching. 

What had even happened? Did Yuuri get that scared? 

He knew one thing for sure, and that was that he had seriously messed up.

He had lost the only mermaid he would probably ever get to meet. 

No, he didn’t lose him. Yuuri left him.

Yuuri left him and he wasn’t coming back.  
……………………………………………….

Yuuri was swimming as fast as he could. Using his powers like that had been reckless. He had gotten scared, so he used up everything he had on something that was completely useless. 

He needed to go deep into the ocean to gather back his strength. At the deepest parts, there was more pressure and the pressure could help him recharge again. 

Mermaids weren’t meant to live on land so far from what they needed to survive. 

But he wanted to return to Victor, he wanted to know more about his world, about his life. 

The sea wasn’t safe and he knew it. 

He was a target down here. He was unmated and mature. If anyone smelled him…

Yuuri shuddered at the thought as he closed his eyes and felt his strength return to him. He just needed to breathe for a moment, then he could return back to Victor.

But what if Victor was mad at him? He did try to scare his friend away…

But he didn’t seem mad, he seemed worried. 

Yuuri could only hope that he would take him back.   
…………………………………….

Victor returned back home with his spirit crushed. Makkachin even whined as he looked to the horizon. 

“He’s not coming back,” Victor told his poodle as he walked passed him and sat down in the couch. He had never felt so lost before. He wasn’t even sure what to do now. 

He knew that he wasn’t going to find Yuuri again unless he wanted to be found. He was a mermaid in a giant sea, and he could move faster than his eyes could process. 

He wasn’t going to see those beautiful brown eyes again, or see that sweet smile. 

He wasn’t coming back. 

Victor felt tears streaming down his face as he forced himself to look back to the sea from his window. 

His eyes then fell to Yuuri’s nest and all the things he had collected. 

He forced himself to stop crying so he could think straight. He needed to come up with a plan, any plan. 

That’s when his mind began to catch up.

Yuuri told him that the sea was dangerous for him. 

He said that since he wasn’t mated and mermaids were pregnant, he was a target. If he swam too close to someone’s territory he could be… 

No.

Victor didn’t know what to do, but he knew he couldn’t allow Yuuri to get hurt. 

Did he still have his diving suit? 

Victor shot to his feet as he ran upstairs with a purpose. He was going to save Yuuri with all he could. 

He wasn’t giving up until he could say that he had done everything in his power to help him. 

He at least owed him that much.  
………………………………………….

Yuuri was feeling a lot better after some time in the water. For a moment, he wondered if it would be worth it to visit his parents, but immediately decided against it. 

They would be too disappointed. They wanted him to have a baby, to help saving their kind. To show up without one was… Not an option.

There had to be a way for him to convince Victor to mate with him. 

If he did, he could return to his family and swim freely in the ocean without worrying about being attacked. 

This was stressful. Even as he was swimming to the surface, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being attacked. 

It felt like he was being watched, which only caused him to swim faster.

But he managed to break through the surface and return up on land. 

The sand was not very nice when he was wet. It stuck to him like glue and he quickly felt uncomfortable. 

As he turned around, he could also see that no one had followed him. 

But it was dark. And cold. 

Yuuri looked up to the sky and saw stars. 

He must have been down there a long time. 

He looked up to Victor’s house. The lights were still on. 

Yuuri got up from the sand and started making his way over there. He felt as if the land spun from underneath him, making him lose his balance. 

He sat on the ground for a long time, trying to regain his mobilities. 

That’s probably what he deserved for using his powers so recklessly.   
……………………………….

Victor startled awake to the sound of Makkachin’s barks. 

He looked around worriedly and noticed that papers rained around him. 

He had fallen asleep at his desk. He had failed to find his diving suit and had tried to come up with an idea for something that could help him transform water into air so he could breathe underwater for as long as he needed. 

But he had fallen asleep…

Victor frowned thoughtfully. What time was it?

Makkachin was still barking, and that was enough to send Victor to his feet. 

He walked his way to the living room where his poodle was scratching at the back door and whining as he looked back to Victor. 

“I know you miss him,” Victor agreed. “But he’s not coming back.”

He looked out and froze as he saw something lying in the grass. 

Yuuri.

Victor felt like he couldn’t open the door quickly enough. Yuuri wasn’t moving and it terrified him. 

“Yuuri!” he called the moment he got the door open. Both him and Makkachin rushed out to the mermaid’s aid. “Yuuri, are you hurt?” 

Yuuri pushed himself up weakly. He was covered in sand and he was cold as ice. “I’m fine,” he claimed. “I- I just needed to…” 

“You don’t need to explain,” Victor quickly reassured him. “Let’s just get you inside.”

Yuuri nodded as he allowed Victor to help him to his feet. Yuuri was shivering and Victor could tell that he wasn’t in a very good condition. 

“What happened to you?” Victor asked worriedly as led him inside. 

Yuuri smiled a little. “Remind me not to use magic… It… It’s probably not meant to be used on land.” 

Victor frowned. “Are you okay?” 

Yuuri nodded hesitantly. “I just need some water… And rest.” 

Victor could give him that. He was willing to give him anything if it might help. “I’ll take you to the tub upstairs,” he declared. “Maybe you can soak a little.” 

Yuuri smiled at that. “I like the tub.” 

Victor felt his heart flutter. “Thank you for coming back.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri doesn't seem to be getting any better and Victor starts to worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while!! ^^ Hopefully you haven't forgotten all about this story XD <3
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! <3

Victor couldn’t help but worry about Yuuri. 

The mermaid kept drifting in and out of consciousness, and Victor had a bad feeling about that. 

He needed to do a thorough examination to see how his health was, but he knew that it wouldn’t be easy. 

Yuuri had a completely different anatomy than a human. And even though he specialized in underwater species, it was far from relevant for what Yuuri was.

Yuuri wasn’t a fish.

And he wasn’t human. 

He would have to come up with a whole new science to determine his well being.

He knew a few human doctors he could consult with, but he was also worried about getting anyone involved or revealing Yuuri’s identity to the world.

Maybe he should call Chris again? He would know who to ask.

Victor drew Yuuri a bath, allowing Yuuri to control the temperature before he stepped out and allowed the mermaid some privacy.

He knew that Yuuri wouldn’t drown, and there wasn’t much else that could happen to him in there. 

He took the moment he had alone to google. 

He needed to know if there was anything that he could use, myth or not. 

He found a lot of myths. Mermaids eating humans, sirens luring their prey to sea, some fanfiction about ‘the little mermaid’.

He then came across a PDF of a very old book. 

It seemed to be a journal of a captain that caught a mermaid back in the 14th century.

He mentioned everything he had learned. He wrote about how the mermaid nested on the boat, it sang songs during night that had a strange reaction on the whole crew. 

The captain had been so worried about his people that he had locked the mermaid in a cage.

A few days later, the mermaid had died from dehydration and no one believed the captain when he had said that the dead woman was a mermaid. 

The captain then started to grow stranger and stranger in his notes, writing pictures and scribbling notes in the margins of his journal. 

He described how the dead mermaid visited his dreams, that she tried to lure him to the seas. 

He wrote how he felt his heart ache every time he thought about her, that he wished that he had saved her. That he loved her. 

He almost sounded obsessed in the manic way he was writing, the journal then stopped mid-sentence.

Victor wasn’t sure whether to deem it to be a real journal written by a mad sea captain or if it was a very good fake. 

But before he had the time to look into it, Yuuri came out of the bathroom, dressed in the clothes he had left for him. 

But he looked really pale. 

“How are you feeling?” Victor asked worriedly. 

Yuuri didn’t answer, but Victor could see him wobble as he walked. “Yuuri?” 

Yuuri looked to him in confusion, before he stumbled on his own feet. 

Victor practically threw himself forward to catch the mermaid, and luckily, he managed. 

“Yuuri? What’s wrong?” Victor asked as he looked Yuuri over. He immediately noticed the dryness of Yuuri’s skin and the blue tint of his lips. 

He seemed to have trouble breathing. 

He needed to be submerged, that was probably why he went into the ocean before.

He was dried out. 

Luckily, he still had the tank in his lab. 

“Come on,” Victor said as he carefully picked Yuuri up and carried him downstairs. 

“W-where…” Yuuri trailed off as he coughed. 

“We’re going to the lab,” Victor said. “You need water, and the tub isn’t big enough.”

Yuuri nodded against his shoulder. “Will you… lock me in?”

“No,” Victor said. “Say the word and I’ll let you go.” 

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully while Victor felt him getting heavier. 

“Yuuri?” Victor asked but received no response. 

He immediately picked up his pace until he reached the lab, cursing himself over the stupid amount of security. 

Somehow he managed to get the door open, but he still felt his worry kick in as he noticed the tank with the shattered roof.

There were definitely glass shards in there that needed to be taken out before dropping Yuuri in that water. 

Which meant that he had to go into the tank himself and remove the shards. 

He gently placed Yuuri on the examination table before getting his diving gear. 

He didn’t bother with the wetsuit, he needed to be quick. 

The water was cold, which made sense since it was being filtered right from the ocean, but that didn’t stop Victor from letting out a gasp before he dove in. 

It was hard spotting the glass in the water, the only thing he could use to find the shards was his flashlight. He settled for picking out the big shards as he cleared a spot for Yuuri to recover without risking him getting hurt. 

He then returned to the surface, only to find Yuuri on the floor, gasping for breath as he coughed. 

Victor practically threw himself out of the tank as he hurried to the mermaid. 

He helped him remove his clothes before carrying him up, he then lowered them both into the tank to make sure Yuuri could rest on the spot he cleaned up for him. 

As soon as Yuuri was fully submerged, he transformed into his mermaid form and opened his eyes. 

Victor could feel himself running out of air as he rushed for the surface.

But he never managed to since Yuuri grabbed his wrist. 

~Stay~ the mermaid pleaded. 

Victor let out a breath, when he suddenly realized that the water didn’t smother it. 

He then managed to breathe in, just like magic.

Magic.

Just like he had experienced the day Yuuri saved him.

Why didn’t he think of asking Yuuri about it while he had the chance? 

Well, he would definitely save that question for later. Right now, he needed to focus on Yuuri. 

Yuuri cuddled into the pebbles on the bottom of the tank and closed his eyes. 

Victor felt unable to take his eyes off him, even as he fell asleep.

He hated how close he was to losing him, in every possible way.

His mind immediately went back to the captain and the way he had started going insane after the mermaid’s death.

If something like that happened to Yuuri, Victor was sure that he would go insane as well. 

He just thought back to how he felt when he thought that Yuuri left him.

That terrible sense of emptiness filling his chest. 

It was scary to think that Yuuri might actually leave him for good one day.

He couldn’t be kept on land forever. He belonged with his own kind, despite how terrible their living and traditions were. 

If Yuuri wanted to return, Victor wouldn’t stop him. 

At least he hoped he wouldn’t. 

He had only spent a few days with Yuuri, he had no idea how obsessed he would be after spending nearly a year with him. 

He knew that there was a way to make Yuuri stay permanently.

Mating with him.

But that also meant starting a family for no other reason than to keep a mermaid for himself. 

Could he be that selfish?

……………………….

Once Victor was sure that Yuuri was asleep, he got out of the tank. 

He needed to call Chris and see if there was someone he could consult with regarding Yuuri’s health. 

Yuuri was definitely not in his full health, and Victor was not going to allow him to get any worse. 

He needed help, and he needed it before it was too late. 

“Victor, I hope that Yuuri is there to apologize for almost drowning me,” Chris said as he answered the phone. It sounded like he was asleep, which made Victor remember that it was in the middle of the night. 

“Uhm, yes, I’ll get on that,” Victor said vaguely. “I actually need to ask you for a favor.” 

Chris sighed. “What can I do for you?” he asked sleepily.

“What doctors do you know that specializes in human anatomy?” Victor asked. “Someone trustworthy that won’t be thrown off by Yuuri’s… condition.”

“Do you mean mermaid doctor?” Chris asked in amusement. 

“I just need someone I can trust,” Victor admitted. “Yuuri he’s… He’s not feeling well.” 

“What do you mean?” Chris asked with a hint of worry. 

“I think he might be sick,” Victor said as he looked to Yuuri’s sleeping form through the monitor. “And I don’t know how to help him.” 

“There is someone I know that would be able to help,” Chris said. “His name is Phichit Chulanont, and he’s a doctor with his own clinic, not far from you. He does home visits and I’ve heard rumors that he might have treated an alien on an American military base.” 

“Do you have his number?” Victor asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll send it to you,” Chris promised. “Just… Be careful, don’t let Yuuri drown the poor guy.” 

“Of course,” Victor promised. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you think Yuuri will react to Phichit? ^^
> 
> And how will Phichit react to seeing a mermaid? <3
> 
> Let me know what you think! <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phichit arrives to Victor's cabin, but the unkown patient is not what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! <3 I hope all of you are doing okay despite the circumstances <3 
> 
> Anyways, here's a chapter of this little story! <3
> 
> I hope you'll like it! <3<3

Phichit couldn’t help but feel a little bit worried as he parked his car outside a remote cabin next to the ocean.

The man he had spoken to sounded desperate on the phone, but he gave no specific details on what kind of injury he was treating. 

His best guess was a deformed child. 

The man said that he was treating someone with a special condition, whatever that meant. 

He had looked the man up, and the man seemed to be a marine biologist with a lot of achievements, but a voice inside of him was pretty sure that he might also be a serial killer. 

Phichit took a deep breath and prayed that that wasn’t the case.

He liked to believe that most humans had good intentions, so he really didn’t want to be proven wrong. 

He grabbed his kit and made his way to the door, only wincing a little as a brutal wave crashed into the shore. It seemed like a storm was coming. 

Hopefully it wouldn’t last for too long, he would hate to be stranded there. 

He pushed his fear aside as he rang the doorbell.

He tried to look through the window for anything that could give him a clue as to what was going on. 

He then heard footsteps approaching fast, almost as if someone was running to answer the door. 

Then a man opened the door. He was tall and surprisingly handsome for someone living in a remote cabin like this. And he didn’t look to be a serial killer, which was always a good sign. 

He did however look to be in the middle of some sort of mental breakdown. His hair was a mess that stood out in almost every direction and he had dark circles under his eyes that indicated that he had not gotten proper rest in several days.

“Hi,” Phichit said and reached out his hand. “I’m doctor Chulanont,” he introduced himself. “But you can call me Phichit.” 

“I’m Victor,” Victor said as he looked behind himself worriedly. “May I ask you what exactly your specialty is?” 

Phichit didn’t expect that kind of question. “Uhm, my specialty is physical illnesses, I suppose,” he said vaguely. “I tend to be very good at diagnosing strange conditions as well.” 

“Okay,” Victor said, he did not step aside to let him in, which did feel a bit strange. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen?” 

“Oh, I don’t really discuss other patients I’ve been treating,” Phichit said. “It’s a part of my oath.” 

“That’s a good oath,” Victor said thoughtfully. “I… W-what you’re about to see might be a bit of a shock. But I’m asking you to stay calm and try not to scare him.” 

“Him?” Phichit inquired. “I’m guessing you’re not the patient then?” 

“No, my friend is,” Victor said and slowly stepped aside. “He’s a bit shy, so don’t approach him too quickly, but also don’t run away, because he’s not dangerous.” 

Phichit didn’t like the sound of that, and a part of him was pretty sure that he was going to be led into a basement to find a stuffed human or something. 

But he nodded nonetheless and followed Victor inside. 

The cabin was surprisingly clean for a place that a crazy person would live in. Except from the strange blanket fort in the middle of the living room. 

But Victor paid that no mind as he walked to a door that seemed like it belonged in a sci-fi film. He typed in his code and used a fingerprint scanner before the doors slid open. 

“I think he’s still sleeping,” Victor said as he led the way down to some sort of lab.

Phichit swallowed thickly as he noticed the giant tank in the middle of the room. “Uhm… I take it that this is your… office?” There weren’t any humans around, and he would be lying if he claimed he wasn’t a little worried.

“Oh, yes,” Victor said sheepishly as he walked up to a monitor.

Phichit followed him slowly and noticed the giant fish on the bottom of the tank. “Oh, uhm, well, I’m not a veterinarian,” he said. “Or a fish doctor…”

“I know,” Victor quickly reassured him. “But Yuuri is not a fish, if he had been, I wouldn’t have called you, but I need a doctor who specializes in humans.”

Phichit frowned in confusion. “Okay?” 

Victor pressed a button beside the monitor. “Yuuri, can you wake up for me? I found someone who might be able to help you,” he said, his voice echoing in the speakers above the tank. 

Phichit then noticed how the fish moved, swimming towards the camera, and as he looked up to the tank, he almost stumbled backwards as he saw the human staring back at him. 

But then he saw that it wasn’t really a human, he had a fin. 

A beautiful fin with almost every shade of blue.

He was a mermaid.

Mermaid…

Mermaids were real?!

Phichit gasped for breath. “H-he…”

“Stay calm,” Victor pleaded and placed a gentle hand on Phichit’s back. “He’s not feeling well, and I need you to help him.” 

Phichit tried to wrap his head around all of this as quickly as possible. “D-does he understand me?” he asked worriedly when the mermaid nodded at him.

A mermaid was nodding at him!

Phichit took a deep breath to calm himself down. 

~Who are you?~ He suddenly heard someone ask. 

“Did you hear that?” Phichit asked worriedly. 

“He’s talking to you,” Victor explained. “He can hear you, just use the speaker.” 

Phichit looked at the button and then back at the mermaid and then at Victor before he carefully pressed the button and spoke into the speaker. “Hi, my name is Phichit,” he said awkwardly. “I’m a doctor and Victor has asked me to examine you if you’ll let me?” 

Yuuri looked at Victor before Victor carefully nudged Phichit aside so he could press the button to speak to the mermaid. “I trust him, and I will be right here,” he stated. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” 

Yuuri nodded carefully and reached for the hatch on the roof of the tank. 

Victor quickly hurried to meet him, opening the hatch and reached out his hand to Yuuri to pull him up.

Phichit was just about to protest, taking a fish out of water seemed like a terrible plan, but as soon as Yuuri’s fin met air, it turned into legs.

Phichit felt his jaw drop at the transformation. 

That was magic.

Victor pulled Yuuri up and out of the tank, then gave him a towel which he wrapped around his shoulders.

Yuuri smiled shyly and allowed Victor to support him as they walked down the stairs.

Phichit looked at the mermaid thoughtfully as he wondered how to assess his health or determine a diagnosis. 

That’s when Yuuri coughed, it sounded wet and his breathing was somewhat strained. 

He frowned thoughtfully as he opened his kit. Yuuri stopped at that.

Phichit got his stethoscope out of his bag and wrapped it around his neck before approaching slowly. “I just need to listen to your lungs,” he explained and placed the end of the stethoscope on his chest. “Like this.” 

Yuuri looked at Victor momentarily before looking back and Phichit with a nod.

Phichit closed the distance between them and listened to Yuuri’s heartbeat first. 

It was beating in a very odd rhythm. It was very faint but fast and it beat almost three times and then it went silent for a few seconds before starting again. 

He then listened to his lungs. “Can you take a deep breath for me?” 

Yuuri did as told, and Phichit immediately got an idea of what might be wrong. “It sounds like there’s water in your lungs,” he admitted. “And I-I’m not sure what might have caused it other than what I might guess…” he said vaguely. “Have you been breathing with your lungs under the water?” 

“I-I don’t know,” Yuuri said shyly. 

Phichit couldn’t help but swallow thickly. His voice sounded so calm and reassuring, he immediately wanted to hear more of it. “When did your symptoms start?” 

“Uhm…” Yuuri said unsurely. 

“Yesterday,” Victor answered for him. 

“I-I was dried out from…” Yuuri trailed off a little. “I used a bit of magic on the surface… That wasn’t smart.”

“Magic?” Phichit repeated.

“Can you treat him?” Victor asked, suddenly with a glare.

“Uhm, y-yeah,” Phichit said. “I just… I don’t know how he might react to the medicine.”

“What kind of medicine?” Victor asked.

“I want to prescribe him with furosemide,” Phichit said. “To get the fluids out of his lungs and avoid things getting worse to the point where he might develop pneumonia.”

“What are possible side effects?” Victor asked.

“For humans?” Phichit asked. “Depends on the human and underlying conditions, but to a mermaid…” he trailed off a little. “Won’t he need water in his body to survive? To get a medicine like that might drain him out. There’s no way to know…” 

“Isn’t there another way?” Victor asked. “Something natural? Herbal medicine?” 

Phichit racked his brain. “Steam therapy might work,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe some exercises… May I examine him further? That might give me more of an idea.” 

“Depends on the examination,” Victor said. 

“Blood samples,” Phichit said. “And maybe saliva.” 

Victor considered that for several moments before turning to Yuuri. “What do you think?” he asked the mermaid. “I won’t let him do anything that you don’t want.” 

Yuuri swallowed thickly. “W-will it hurt?” 

“Not that bad,” Victor promised. “The needle is very little, it might sting but it shouldn’t hurt too much.”

Yuuri nodded. “And the other?” 

“I just need to rub this cotton stick in the inside of your cheek,” Phichit said with a reassuring smile and got out one of his cotton swabs from his pocket. 

Yuuri reached out his hands and touched it, his eyes shining with fascination. It was soft. 

“You can keep it,” Phichit said, knowing he would need a new one either way.

Yuuri quickly snatched it for himself, making Victor smile fondly. 

“I’ll get a new cotton swab and a butterfly needle,” Phichit said and left Yuuri to admire his new gift.

Victor carefully played with the mermaid’s hair as his heart was swelling with love at seeing him appreciate something as simple as a cotton swab. 

It didn’t take much to impress that adorable creature. 

When Phichit returned however, Yuuri panicked once he saw the needle. 

He pushed Victor away and rushed up the stairs and practically threw himself into the tank. ~Stay away from me!~

Phichit was at a loss for words, and so was Victor. 

Yuuri had never reacted so strongly before. 

“W-what happened?” Phichit asked in confusion. 

“I think he got scared,” Victor said and walked over to the monitor and the button for the speakers. “Yuuri, it’s okay,” he told the mermaid. 

~Liar!~ Yuuri accused him. 

“It’s just a needle,” Victor said gently. 

~It’s a hook~ Yuuri said, his tone allowing no room for arguments. 

“Yuuri,” Victor said gently. “Can you at least come up so you can see me?” 

There was a moment of silence, but then he saw the mermaid swim up.

Victor smiled reassuringly. “I’ll show you that there’s no need to be scared…” he looked to the doctor. “Phichit, can you take my blood?” 

Phichit looked between Yuuri and Victor and his butterfly needle before quickly springing into action. “Yes, of course,” he agreed and got out an antiseptic wipe from his pocket. 

Victor held out his arm dutifully while looking at Yuuri, making sure not to let any pain show as Phichit pricked him with the needle. 

Phichit took one vial of blood before taking the needle out and replacing it with some cotton and wrapped some gauze around it to keep it secure. 

Yuuri swam up a little higher. ~It didn’t hurt?~ 

Victor shook his head. “No,” he said. “It just stung a little. But I know you can handle it. If I can, then I know you can too.”

Yuuri nodded cautiously and swam up again to meet Victor, ready to give it another attempt. 

“You can squeeze my hand if you want to,” Victor told the mermaid and led him to sit down and reach out his arm. “Let me take the pain.”

Yuuri looked to him worriedly before Phichit wiped his arm with a cold napkin.

“Okay, now comes the worst part,” Phichit said apologetically as he opened up a new butterfly needle. 

Yuuri closed his eyes in preparation for the pain, but he just felt as if someone pinched him before he opened his eyes and noticed that the needle was already in his arm. 

“You were very brave,” Victor told him, his voice full of pride.

Yuuri smiled at him. “It’s over?” 

“It’s over,” Victor assured. 

“I need three vials,” Phichit said. 

“Can you make that four?” Victor asked. “I need one myself, I need to learn more about him.” 

Yuuri looked at Victor in confusion. “What will you use it for?” 

“I need to learn more about you if I’m ever going to be able to help you myself,” he admitted. “And to see how your DNA works.” 

“DNA?” Yuuri repeated in confusion.

Victor squeezed Yuuri’s hand. “Everything in the world is built up by tiny particles called atoms, and the human body in all its complexity has something that makes us able to read our… let’s call it our story. It makes us understand how we are built, how we work, so if something ever gets broken, learning about it can help us repair it.” 

Yuuri looked confused but he nodded nonetheless. 

“Do you remember how I told you that I’m a marine biologist?” Victor asked.

Yuuri nodded.

“Well, that means that I know almost everything there is to know about different types of fish and other things about the ocean. If Phichit can make sense of the part of you that is human, maybe I can figure out the other part and together we might understand how you work.” 

Yuuri seemed to understand that explanation. “Will that take the water out of my lungs?” 

“We might understand how the water ended up in your lungs in the first place,” Victor said. “And make sure it never happens again.” 

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed. “C-can you teach me how?” 

Victor smiled. “Of course,” he promised. “I’ll teach you everything I know…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri would make a fine marine biologist, wouldn't he? ^^
> 
> Hopefully Victor is as good of a teacher as he is a coach! ^w^
> 
> What do you think? Will Yuuri make sense of the science or will he ruin all of Victor's theories ^^" 
> 
> Let me know!! ^^ <3

**Author's Note:**

> So yes, I saw the trailer for The Sims 4 island living and I apparently had to write a fic about it XD I think I need to see a psychologist or something about my constant need to write all my ideas down and share it with the general public even though the ideas are not even finished in my head yet XD <3 
> 
> I wasn't even sure if I should share this or not, but there you go <3
> 
> Let me know what you think and whether or not you're interested in a continuation <3 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this <3<3
> 
> KUDOS!! <3<3


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